Jannik Sinner makes successful comeback for first match after three-month doping ban
His last competitive swing was on January 26th, when he won the Australian Open final against German Alexander Zverev. A few weeks later, tennis player Jannik Sinner reached an agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA): a three-month suspension for two positive tests for clostebol, a banned substance, in March 2024 .
Obviously, the world number one knows that his big comeback in front of his home crowd, at the Masters 1000 in Rome , after a long period away from the courts "is generating a lot of attention" , as he himself acknowledged in a press conference before the tournament. There are also many doubts about his "level of play" - he was only able to officially resume training on April 13 - and the reactions of spectators as well as other players on the tour, several of whom have deplored preferential treatment from the authorities and a too light sentence.
On the first point, the 23-year-old Transalpine already reassured somewhat on Saturday, May 10, by holding his own for his opening match, against Mariano Navone, 99th in the ATP ranking. The Argentinian, a year his senior, peaked at 24th in the world ranking in June 2024, but his best result this season was a quarter-final in Buenos Aires.
The two men had never met before, and Jannik Sinner will undoubtedly remember this first encounter as a great battle – clay court specialist Mariano Navone put up a good fight in the second set. But the local hero finally prevailed after 1 hour and 38 minutes of play, 6-3, 6-4, concluding the match with a service winner that delighted the fans, who came out in force to watch the match on the Campo Centrale.
The three-time Grand Slam winner (Australian Open 2024 and 2025, US Open 2024) had, it must be said, no longer had any great worries about the public's reaction to him, he who had been welcomed with fervor at the Foro Italico during his training sessions preceding his debut in the competition. To the point that he had wanted to express his gratitude to the spectators in a video posted on the morning of his match against Mariano Navone . "I just wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart for these last few days. For the support, the love you gave me, the joy: it has all been incredible. (...) I am happy to be back on the court and to be able to share this moment with all of you," he said, in English, in this four-minute clip.
"I think tennis needs him too."He still had to find out the attitude of his rivals. "It's been 45 minutes since I arrived [at the Foro Italico] , I haven't seen anyone yet. Tennis is such an individual sport, everyone does their own thing. During these three months, I hardly spoke to anyone, a little with [the Briton] Jack [Draper] who came to train with me [in Monte-Carlo] , we are very good friends. At the beginning of the suspension, I received messages from players that I didn't expect to receive and conversely, nothing came from players from whom I could expect a little something," he had recounted at length in a press conference on May 5.
The words of world number 3 Carlos Alcaraz, four days later in front of the media, gave him a first very positive indication. " Honestly, I would say that I need him on the tour. Because he pushes me to be a better player, to give 100% every day," declared the four-time Grand Slam winner (US Open 2022, Wimbledon 2023 and 2024, Roland-Garros 2024), on May 9, after his victory against the Serbian Dusan Lajovic (6-3, 6-3). "I think tennis also needs him. To attract new fans," continued the Spaniard, adding that he hoped to meet him in the final on May 18 – the two men not being in the same part of the draw.
The day before, Alexander Zverev, second in the ATP rankings, had also welcomed his presence in Rome... But in a more pragmatic way. "It's a good thing for me because I'm someone who likes to go unnoticed (...)," the German explained to Sky Sports. "In recent months, the attention was obviously focused on me because I was the number 1 seed everywhere I played and it was important to perform in a certain way, so it helps a little that the attention is on Jannik now."
In any case, there remains one player who still hasn't digested the clostebol affair: Nick Kyrgios, one of the most virulent critics of the world number one since the announcement of his two positive tests . While some are already dreaming of a resounding comeback from Jannik Sinner, with a first Masters 1000 in Rome to his name, the Australian responded on the social network X: "Why? Is he a generational talent? I wouldn't be surprised at all" accompanied by an emoji crying with laughter. Yellow in this case.
World number two and defending champion Iga Swiatek was eliminated on Saturday, May 10, in the third round of the WTA tournament in Rome. This does not bode well just days before Roland-Garros (May 25-June 8), where she has won four of the last five editions (2020, 2022, 2023, 2024). The 23-year-old Pole was beaten by American Danielle Collins ( 35th ), 6-1, 7-5, after committing a series of unforced errors, losing the first set in 34 minutes with only 23% first-serve percentage and fifteen points won. Iga Swiatek, who has not yet won a title since the start of the season, had nevertheless always reached at least the quarter-finals until then. In the wake of this poor performance at the Foro Italico, where she has already won three times (2021, 2022, 2024), she will drop to 4th place in the WTA rankings.
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