World No. 1 Sinner Returns To Tennis After Three-Month Ban With Impressive Win In Rome

Jannik Sinner returned to the tennis courts in front of home fans at the 2025 Italian Open in Rome, and it was a victorious return for the ATP World No. 1 player.

Sinner spent the last three months away from the tennis courts. Not because he would have wanted to, but because he reached an agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) about his doping case, which meant he had to be suspended for three months.

Luckily for the 23-year-old, he didn't miss any Grand Slams, and also got to return at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in his home country. Tennis fans at Foro Italico patiently awaited the moment when their hero stepped onto the court again, and it happened on Saturday evening.

Sinner's first opponent was clay-court specialist Mariano Navone, so the three-time Grand Slam champion knew he was up for a proper test. At the end of the day, he knew it wouldn't be easy to return and start winning easily straightaway. However, Sinner made it look easy.

But it took some time before the top seed got up and running. He faced a break point already in the third game, and converted a game point only after a lucky net bounce. After that, Sinner let out a big smile, and it was clear that he got into his comfortable state again.

The World No. 1 player showed it already in the following game when he broke Navone's serve to lead 3-1, and confirmed the break with a hold to lead 4-1 in the first set of the match. In the remainder of the set, the Italian didn't have any issues serving it out to win 6-3.

But Navone didn't give up. Up 2-1 in the second set, the Argentinian was again the first player to have a break point, and despite not using it, he had another chance when he led 30-15 on Sinner's serve at 3-2. Yet, the Argentinian player couldn't use either of these chances.

Navone's unused chances would, inevitably, sooner or later, mean chances for the top seed, and those came in the following game. Sinner had three break points at 3-3, and after using the third one, he established a 4-3 lead.

Surprisingly, this time, Sinner couldn't serve out the set, and he was broken back by Navone. However, the Italian player added yet another break to win the match 6-3, 6-4, recording his first win since January, and also his first win after serving a three-month suspension.

It was an incredibly impressive performance from Sinner, considering all the circumstances. Before taking on Navone, he played his last professional match in January, more than three months ago.

In the third round of the tournament, Sinner will take on lucky loser Jesper de Jong, who shockingly destroyed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-0, 6-2.