Jannik Sinner will be fresh when he returns from his ban with Italian tennis legend Adriano Panatta stating that he has used the break to sharpen his game as he will be dangerous at the Italian Open and French Open.
The three-time Grand Slam winner’s last professional match was on 26 January when he beat Alexander Zverev in straight sets in the Australian Open final to successfully defend his Melbourne crown.
He was due to play at the Qatar Open a few weeks later, but he was then hit with a three-month suspension following his positive tests for the banned substance clostebol in March 2024.
The world No 1’s suspension started on 9 February and will come to an end on 4 May with his first tournament the Italian Open.
Sinner was in danger of losing top spot in the ATP Rankings to Zverev or Carlos Alcaraz during his ban, but the duo have failed in their pursuit and the Italian will still be No 1 when he makes his comeback.
Panatta is of the opinion that the 23-year-old – who will also miss the upcoming Monte Carlo Masters and the Madrid Open – used his time away to improve.
“Sinner is ready for Rome, a break can sometimes do good,” the 1976 Roland Garros winner told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“I am convinced that Jannik has used this period to improve his game on clay and has not lost his physical shape, they tell me that he has trained a lot and fortunately he has also maintained the top of the ranking.
“I repeat, I am very optimistic, three months is not a very long time. More would have been a problem, he has used this period to train in a certain way, improving his game and physique.”
Sinner was initially cleared of any wrongdoing by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) as they found he bore “no fault or negligence” for his failed tests and was allowed to continue playing, but the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) then appealed the decision.
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