Sinner Does Not Expect Easy Road on Return from Doping Ban

Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 21, 2024 Italy's Jannik Sinner celebrates after winning his fourth round match against Russia's Karen Khachanov. (Reuters)
Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 21, 2024 Italy's Jannik Sinner celebrates after winning his fourth round match against Russia's Karen Khachanov. (Reuters)
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Sinner Does Not Expect Easy Road on Return from Doping Ban

Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 21, 2024 Italy's Jannik Sinner celebrates after winning his fourth round match against Russia's Karen Khachanov. (Reuters)
Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 21, 2024 Italy's Jannik Sinner celebrates after winning his fourth round match against Russia's Karen Khachanov. (Reuters)

Jannik Sinner held onto his world number one ranking ahead of his return from a three-month doping ban, but the Italian does not expect his comeback to be as smooth when he takes to the court again at the Rome Masters next month.

Sinner has not played since winning the Australian Open at the start of the season and accepted a ban in February following a deal with the World Anti-Doping Agency, which had challenged a tribunal's decision to clear him after two positive tests.

The 23-year-old was allowed to return to training on April 13, and his suspension will end on May 4, before his competitive return at the Italian Open, which gets underway three days later.

Sinner, who spent time building fitness mindful of the French Open starting on May 25, was assured of retaining the top ranking for his home tournament after his closest challenger Alexander Zverev crashed to an early defeat in Monte Carlo.

"We're training very hard. Hopefully we'll get some momentum going again ahead of the clay season. It certainly won't be easy for me," Sinner told broadcaster ORF Sudtirol.

"The first games will be really difficult. But hopefully I'll be able to get back into the rhythm and then we'll see how it goes."

Sinner, who trained with Britain's world number six Jack Draper at the Tennis Club de Beaulieu in France recently, said there were plenty of positives from his enforced absence from the tour.

"I think at the beginning of the three months, it was quite nice," Sinner added.

"A bit of time away from all the grind, I spent time with family, with friends. I was doing new things and getting to know myself better, finding out where I stand.

"I think it helped me a lot."



Paolini Beats Gauff to Become 1st Home Player in 40 Years to Win Italian Open

Tennis - Italian Open - Foro Italico, Rome, Italy - May 17, 2025 Italy's Jasmine Paolini celebrates winning her final match against Coco Gauff of the US REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel
Tennis - Italian Open - Foro Italico, Rome, Italy - May 17, 2025 Italy's Jasmine Paolini celebrates winning her final match against Coco Gauff of the US REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel
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Paolini Beats Gauff to Become 1st Home Player in 40 Years to Win Italian Open

Tennis - Italian Open - Foro Italico, Rome, Italy - May 17, 2025 Italy's Jasmine Paolini celebrates winning her final match against Coco Gauff of the US REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel
Tennis - Italian Open - Foro Italico, Rome, Italy - May 17, 2025 Italy's Jasmine Paolini celebrates winning her final match against Coco Gauff of the US REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel

Jasmine Paolini took advantage of the crowd’s support and beat Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-2 to become the first home player to win the Italian Open in 40 years on Saturday.

With top-ranked Jannik Sinner to play Carlos Alcaraz in the men’s final on Sunday, Italy could earn its first sweep of the Rome singles titles, The Associated Press reported.

The last Italian woman to win the open was Raffaella Reggi in 1985 in Taranto. The last local man to raise the trophy was Adriano Panatta in 1976.

Paolini and partner Sara Errani are also in the women’s doubles final and will play Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens for that trophy on Sunday.

With the country’s tennis boom in full force, Italy President Sergio Mattarella attended the woman’s final at the Foro Italico.

Numerous fans held aloft Italian flags and they constantly shouted “Vai Jasmine” (“Go Jasmine”).

The fifth-ranked Paolini was the runner-up at the French Open and Wimbledon and led Italy to the Billie Jean King Cup title last year. She’ll move up to No. 4 in the rankings on Monday — which will improve her position in the draw for the French Open next weekend.

Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion who was ranked No. 3, struggled with unforced errors and double faults. It’s the second time in two clay-court tournaments that Gauff has finished runner-up. She lost the Madrid Open final two weeks ago to Aryna Sabalenka.

Paolini also beat Gauff at a clay-court event in Stuttgart, Germany, in April.
Monica Seles in 1990 was the last woman to sweep Rome’s singles and doubles titles in the same year.