'Going To Play Great': Jannik Sinner's Rivals Sent Ominous Message About His Return
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Jannik Sinner is suspended from professional tennis for another month, but former ATP player Gilles Simon expects him to perform strongly when he returns.
Sinner was initially set to appear at the Court of Arbitration for Sport after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed the International Tennis Integrity Agency's decision to clear him of wrongdoing for testing positive for clostebol at the 2024 Indian Wells Open.
WADA, which accepted that Sinner was accidentally contaminated without his knowledge by his physiotherapist when it appealed, ultimately decided to resolve the case with the Italian's team, and he was suspended from February 9th until May 4th.
Sinner has not played since winning the 2025 Australian Open final in January. When he returns, his first eligible tournament will be on home soil at the 2025 Italian Open, which starts on May 7th.
Some of the world No. 1's fans might be worried that he will be rusty when he returns due to his absence. However, Simon does not think the 23-year-old's supporters need to be worried about that.
The Frenchman told Tennis365 that Sinner's ability to practice throughout the suspension means he should be sharp during his return. That situation is different from a player being out with an injury.
"He's going to play great. It’s a three-month suspension where he’s practicing, so basically it’s a three-month preparation. He’s going to play a bit to find the rhythm again, but I’m pretty sure he’s going to find it quickly."
"In one moment, he’s going to win, he’s going to be back on track, and he’s going to play well – because it’s not an injury, it’s a suspension. He’s healthy, he had time to also maybe heal the parts of the body that maybe needed some work on it. Any work he had to do, he had time to do it. And three months is not six months, or nine months, or one year, when you come back to competition."
Some might even argue that Sinner could benefit more from the ban than other players during the clay court swing. The three-time Grand Slam champion has had a more extended period to train on the dirt than those who played in Indian Wells and Miami last month.
However, his rivals will have had a chance to get some momentum at clay court tournaments before the Italian Open. That might mitigate much of the advantage Sinner otherwise could have had.
The two-time Australian Open winner might be relieved that his first tournament back will be on home soil in front of supportive fans, since WADA's giving him a chance to settle the case out of court angered some.
Nick Kyrgios called it a sad day for tennis and argued there is no fairness in tennis. Since the case became public in August, the Australian has been one of Sinner and the doping system's harshest critics.
The Professional Tennis Players Association, co-founded by Novak Djokovic, also did not mince words, accusing the system of being biased against certain players and demanding change.
