Sinner happy to return after doping ban but keeping expectations low for Italian Open

Japan Times

06-05-2025

World No. 1 Jannik Sinner said on Monday that he was heading into the Italian Open with low expectations as he makes his comeback after serving a three-month ban for doping.
Sinner agreed to a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency in February and began an immediate three-month suspension after authorities accepted that the anabolic agent clostebol had entered his system via massages from his physiotherapist.
The three-time Grand Slam champion, who has not played since winning the Australian Open in January, will now hope to leave the doping saga behind him and build momentum for the French Open, which runs from May 25 to June 8.
The Italian was cleared to return to training from April 13, with his suspension ending on May 4.
"It's a very, very low expectation tournament in general for me, it's talking also results wise," Sinner told reporters ahead of the Italian Open.
"What's missing is the complete feedback of where my level is. That's going to come then slowly with the time of playing, after the first round match I'm going to have a good picture of myself — where I am at."
Despite missing out on three months of action, the 23-year-old was assured of retaining the top ranking for his home tournament after his closest challenger, Alexander Zverev, crashed to an early defeat at the Monte Carlo Masters.
"For me personally good news that the Grand Slams were not included. ... This kind of agreement, I didn't want to do it in the beginning. It was not easy for me to accept it because I know what really happened, but sometimes we have to choose the best in a very bad moment," Sinner said.
"It's all over now, so I'm happy to play tennis again."
Sinner said last year was very difficult for him.
"I was in a tough situation and in the beginning of the Australian Open I struggled a lot. So, it was nice also to take a small break," he added.
"But I could feel that I'm not playing for quite a long time. The body still has to adjust the times ... the blisters in hands they come again because you're not used to it anymore."
A silver lining of Sinner's absence for Italian tennis was that it gave other players in the country's golden generation a chance to shine.
Sinner was joined in the top 10 of the men's world rankings on Monday by Lorenzo Musetti, who is at No. 9 after reaching the Monte Carlo final and the last four in Madrid.
Meanwhile Luciano Darderi and Flavio Cobolli won tournaments in Marrakesh and Bucharest in April, further underlining the strength in depth that Italian tennis has behind Sinner.
Italian tennis players Lorenzo Musetti (left), Matteo Berrettini (center) and Jannik Sinner during a ceremony to celebrate Italy's 2024 Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup victories, ahead of the Italian Open in Rome on Monday. |
AFP-JIJI
Filippo Volandri, captain of an Italian team that won the last two editions of the Davis Cup, said that "Italian tennis is clearly in a golden age."
"But it's been a long time coming, we're seeing the fruits of work which was started some time ago," he added.
Volandri, who has been in charge of top-level male players for the Italian Tennis Federation (FITP) for the last nine years, pointed to a graphic that illustrates Italy's recent progress.
Between 2005 and 2015 Italian players won eight ATP titles — with seven of those in the lowest 250 category — but since 2016 the tally of tournament wins has more than trebled to 31.
Five of those 31 wins have come in top-level Masters 1000 tournaments, with another three being Sinner's Grand Slam triumphs. Sinner is responsible for 19 of Italy's ATP wins since 2016.
"Jannik is the product of a movement which had already given us Matteo Berrettini reaching the Wimbledon final (in 2021). He is the result of a system that works," said Volandri.
Michelangelo Dell'Edera, the director of the FITP's Higher Training Institute, said that the federation runs a geographically decentralized system which was put in place at the end of the 1990s.
"Every province has a coach from the federation for children between 8-10 years old, while each region has a manager in charge of players between the ages of 11 and 16," explained Dell'Edera.
Players were for a long time obliged to move to the national training center in Tirrenia, just up the Tuscany coast from Livorno, but that is no longer the case.
"Decentralization means making our skills available to young players and their coaches," said Volandri.
"We're reaching out to them rather than tearing them away from their families and their lives."
Dell'Edera said the renaissance in Italian tennis has also come via a change in training philosophy and playing style.
"To make a comparison with another sport, we've gone from the marathon, where players were slugging forehands and backhands, to the 100 meters, a sort of 'speed tennis' where the emphasis is on the serve and return, two shots which determine whether a point can be won," he said.
Every year for the past seven years, just before the Italian Open, the FITP invites its 12,000 coaches to a seminar at the picturesque Foro Italico where the major clay court tournament is played.
The seminar is held to discuss training, physical preparation and tactics, with guest appearances from big foreign names in the field such as Emilio Sanchez and Brad Gilbert, who were there on Saturday.
Gilbert, the former coach of tennis icon Andre Agassi, is impressed with the work being done in Italy.
"They're getting to the top, they have Sinner. Sometimes you get to the top and you rest. If anything, they are spending more," said Gilbert.
"They've made an incredible commitment and they've got a great supporting team. Sinner is the reward.
"But they started this thing 10, 15 years ago and they're still producing. I just watched this kid. ... Federico Cina. He is special."
Cina could have the chance to show how special he is as he will play Sinner in the second round in Rome if he gets past Argentinian Mariano Navone in his opening match.