Latest news with #DopingBan
Washington Post
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Jannik Sinner beats Arthur Rinderknech at the French Open for a 15th straight Grand Slam win
PARIS — Jannik Sinner stretched his Grand Slam winning streak to 15 matches by grabbing the last five games to complete a 6-4, 6-3, 7-5 victory over Arthur Rinderknech of France in the French Open's first round on Monday night. The No. 1-ranked Sinner is playing in his second tournament since serving a three-month doping ban that was announced shortly after he won the Australian Open in January. His case came to light shortly before last year's U.S. Open, which Sinner also won.
Washington Post
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Alcaraz is the clear favorite for the French Open. But Sinner is building back to top form
ROME — Carlos Alcaraz is the clear favorite for the French Open. Top-ranked Jannik Sinner is back from his doping ban , though, and building himself back up to full strength day by day. Those were the verdicts after Alcaraz beat Sinner to win the Italian Open a week before Roland Garros starts on Sunday.
The Independent
16-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Jannik Sinner fights back to set up Carlos Alcaraz clash in Italian Open final
Jannik Sinner came from a set down to claim victory over Tommy Paul and set up a meeting with Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the Italian Open. Sinner returned to action this week for the first time since the Australian Open following a three-month doping ban and he has eased straight back into his groove. The world number one needed to do it the hard way against Paul after struggling in the first set, but rallied to clinch a 1-6 6-0 6-3 triumph for his 26th successive match win. Sinner will now face Alcaraz for the first time this season. The last time the pair met was in the final of the China Open last October where the Spaniard fought back from a set down to lift the title. Alcaraz won all three clashes between the two last season, which was half of Sinner's overall losses for the campaign. Sinner lost just one game in his crushing 6-0 6-1 win over Casper Ruud in the previous round in Rome but started surprisingly slow in his semi-final and American Paul was on hand to punish him. It was the first set Sinner had dropped in the tournament but the 23-year-old Italian responded in style with a crushing 6-0 success in the second to force a decider. With the home fans on his side, Sinner raced into a 3-0 lead before being pegged back to 3-2. However, Sinner was relentless and he would go on to seal victory in one hour and 44 minutes. Sinner said on Sky Sports: "I just tried to stay there mentally. Today the conditions were completely different. It's colder, the ball is heavier, I struggled with that a bit and he broke me straight away which was a punch in my face but I tried to stay there mentally. "Winning this one game for me was important, tennis can change quickly. "Today I showed every moment is crucial and I'm very happy about that, and to be here in the final. If I want to win on Sunday, I have to play my best tennis. Incredible to be here in the final." Alcaraz booked his spot in Sunday's final after defeating Italian Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets earlier on Friday. The world number three comfortably took the first set in just under an hour and battled back from 3-1 down in the next set to put his name in the Rome showpiece.
Sky News
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News
Sinner in the Vatican as tennis star meets Pope Leo
Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner beamed as he met the newly elected Pope Leo in the Vatican. The world number one presented the US pontiff, himself a keen tennis player, with a racket after being invited to the Vatican along with his parents and a delegation from the Italian Tennis Federation. The two were pictured laughing as they held a racket each and Sinner, 23, also held a tennis ball. But Leo, who became the 267th pontiff in a historic election earlier this month, declined a suggestion to go for a hit with the three-time grand slam winner, as he looked at the lights on the ceiling and said to laughter: "Better not." Leo joked earlier this week that he didn't want to meet the world number one, at least not in a match. Asked by a journalist if he would take part in a charity match, the 69-year-old appeared up for it, but cautioned: "Just don't bring Sinner". The Pope described himself as "quite the amateur tennis player" in a 2023 interview published by the website of his Augustinian religious order. Sinner is taking part in the Italian Open tennis tournament, which is being staged a short distance from the Vatican, coming back from a three-month doping ban. When asked during a news conference on Monday about the Pope's comments, he blushed and, burying his head in his hands, he said: "Why do you have to put me in a difficult spot?". He added: "Obviously I heard that he played as a kid. I think it's a good thing for us tennis players to have a pope who likes this sport that we're playing."
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jannik Sinner returns with a win to leave rocking Rome celebrating again
'Lord forgive me, the Sinner is back,' read a pair of T-shirts, complete with AI-generated religious imagery, worn by two exuberant women sporting orange wigs in a crowd of thousands that had amassed outside the Foro Italico's stadium court an hour before festivities began. Their joy was reflective of a jubilant night in Rome as Jannik Sinner marked his return to professional tennis after his three-month doping ban with a win on home soil at the Italian Open, closing out a positive performance with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Mariano Navone of Argentina to reach the third round. Related: Marta Kostyuk praises Daria Kasatkina 'courage' and shakes hands at Italian Open 'Today I felt quite good on court,' said Sinner afterwards. 'I'm happy about that. Hopefully of course we are aiming for small improvements which are the small details that can make the difference.' The men's world No 1, who received a first round bye, had not competed since entering a case resolution agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) in February. In April last year, the 23-year-old twice tested positive for the banned substance clostebol before the initial independent declared that Sinner bore no fault or negligence for the anti-doping rule violation and would not receive a suspension. Wada chose to appeal to the court of arbitration for sport and sought a ban of one to two years before the two parties came to an agreement. Long before Sinner had even started his first pre-match warm-up since the Australian Open final, his audience was already in full voice. Thousands of fans gathered beneath the bridge that connects the Campo Centrale, the stadium court, to other exclusive player areas on the tournament grounds. Even though Sinner did not appear on the bridge before his match, the spectators chanted his name, waving flags and signs with his likeness. 'That means much more than any result, to be honest,' said Sinner of the support he received. 'It has been an amazing feeling to come here starting from the first practices with other players.' With the exception of an unforgettable Thursday in Rome, when even the big screen on the side of the Campo Centrale switched to the news as Robert Francis Prevost was named the new pope, the focus of the Italian Open has been almost entirely on Italy's first ever No 1 singles player. It is almost impossible to navigate Rome without catching a glimpse of Sinner in some form. He seems to pop up in almost every other commercial on television channels, whether during the Champions League semi-finals or reality television shows. Throughout the week, his practice sessions were filmed and uploaded online by Tennis TV, the Association of Tennis Professionals' streaming platform. Considering his success on the court over the past 18 months, as he has established himself as the best player in the world with three grand slam titles, it comes as no surprise that Sinner has gained such a high profile in his tennis-mad home country. However, his doping case appears to have only increased his profile and popularity at home, his compatriots rallying around him in case nobody else in the world would. His uncertainty about his reception was quelled from his first practice when he entered the court to huge cheers. After days of anticipation surrounding his return, Sinner was ushered back on-court by the announcer as 'il maestro', the raucous cheers he received on his emergence setting the tone for the night. Every single successful point was cheered loudly and at length, and there was plenty to cheer on against Navone, a gritty clay-court specialist who made life difficult for Sinner but lacked the firepower to seriously trouble him. Although some rust was unsurprisingly visible in parts of the Italian's game, particularly in his forehand, so too was the destructive ball-striking that has set him apart from the rest of the world. Sinner struck his trusty backhand brilliantly from the beginning, he moved well and served well enough on the important points. After saving two break points in a messy service game at 1-1, he rolled through the set. He then spurned a break lead at 4-3 in set two before locking down his game and closing out the win. As Sinner closed out his first match back with an authoritative service game, his audience erupted into loud, sustained charts for a final time, delaying the start of the post-match interview as he soaked up the support. There will be many greater challenges ahead for Sinner, who next faces the Dutch lucky loser Jesper de Jong, but the most important development for the tightly packed crowd on the Campo Centrale is that the Sinner is back. 'Hopefully I can play here one or two matches more to see where I am at, which would be my main goal,' said Sinner. 'Then all the rest is just a positive, no? It was a great start from my point of view of this tournament and of the comeback. Let's see what's coming.' Elsewhere, Iga Swiatek's difficult run continued as the defending champion was defeated 6-1, 7-5 by the American Danielle Collins in the third round. The Pole, who will start her attempt to win a fourth consecutive French Open this month, will return to Paris having not won a single title at any level since her triumph there a year ago. Jacob Fearnley, the British No 2, fell 6-4, 7-6 (0) to the 29th seed, Matteo Berrettini.
