The moment fans have awaited since February 9 is finally here: World No. 1 Jannik Sinner is back on court after 104 days. The Italian, who accepted a three-month suspension from WADA through an out-of-court decision, hadn’t played since his Melbourne victory in January. After dominating the latter half of the 2024 season-winning two Grand Slams and finishing the year at the top- it was tough to see him sit out so many tournaments. Missing Doha, Indian Wells, Miami (where he was defending champion), Monte Carlo, and Madrid cost him about 2100 ranking points. Even Jannik is relieved to compete again.
For those unfamiliar, Jannik faced trouble last season after testing positive twice for the banned anabolic steroid Clostebol in March 2024. The news broke just before the US Open. The ITIA dismissed his case after he explained the substance entered his system via a gloveless massage by his former physio, who used a spray containing the substance for a hand wound. WADA didn’t accept this and appealed in September before CAS, threatening a ban of up to two years.
In February, Jannik accepted a three-month ban from February 9 to May 4, barring him from all ATP activities, including practice. However, he was allowed to resume official practice after April 13. Now, he’s won his first match back in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, against Argentina’s Mariano Navone. After the match, he said, “Amazing feeling. I’ve waited quite long for this moment. I’m very happy to be back. I was saying in Italian it’s very difficult to have the right feedback when you don’t have any matches. But that’s exactly what I need. The best practice is the match itself.”
Before Rome, Jannik was spotted practicing with ATP stars like Jack Draper in Monte Carlo, Lorenzo Sonego, and Holger Rune. He also hit with Casper Ruud ahead of the tournament. But nothing compares to official matches. He added, “Happy about that. Happy about the win today. It’s been very difficult. He’s such a great player, especially on this surface.”
Jannik Sinner on beating Navone in Rome
“How much does it mean to be back out here playing on a tennis court?”
Jannik: “Amazing feeling. I’ve waited quite long for this moment. I’m very happy to be back. I was saying in Italian it’s very difficult to have the right feedback… pic.twitter.com/0JLaMOehQN
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) May 10, 2025
Navone gave a strong fight. Sinner faced a break point early in the first set but saved it and held serve. He then surged to 3-1 and extended to 4-1, winning the set in 43 minutes. In the second set, Navone again threatened a break, leveling at 2-2, but Sinner held firm and broke for 4-3. From there, he closed out comfortably. Jannik said, “I tried to move the ball around. At times it went very well. At times it could be better. But in any case, doesn’t matter about the result today.”
Now past his first hurdle, Sinner breathed a sigh of relief. “It has been a remarkable day for me. I’m very happy.” Though this win is big after his last match against Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open final on January 26, the journey continues. His last clay-court match was a semi-final loss to Carlos Alcaraz at the 2024 French Open. He also missed last year’s Italian Open due to a hip injury.
Jannik himself said he has “no expectations” entering the tournament in his first press conference after the ban. Renowned coach Patrick Mouratoglou agrees that this mindset is right for him.
Serena Williams’ ex-coach explains why Jannik’s return will not be easy
“It’s a very low expectation tournament in general,” said Jannik Sinner during his pre-event press conference. “Results-wise, I don’t know. For me, what’s missing is the complete feedback of where my level is. That’s going to come slowly with time playing. After the first-round match I’m going to have a good picture of myself, where I am at.” This surprised many, given his recent success. But Patrick Mouratoglou sees it differently.
On Instagram, the renowned coach shared, “The first reaction when you hear Jannik say that he has no expectations, you think, ‘What are you talking about? The guy is No. 1 in the world!’ or ‘He’s been winning so much those last months, years. Of course, he was three months off, but it’s difficult not to have expectations.’ But on the other hand, I believe him.” Mouratoglou explained how tough it is to be sidelined for three months, watching others compete while you can only train. “Nothing replaces matches,” he said.
Though Sinner’s forehand, backhand, serve, and movement are “great,” Mouratoglou emphasized the importance of match play. “He didn’t play much for a long time now. And it’s difficult to assess where you are. When players lack matches, they’re really looking for their game. Every time you work on something at practice, you have to be able to achieve it during the match to really have it inside you. Yeah, his first tournament for Jannik, I think it’s difficult.”
Despite the challenge, Sinner has a strong start. He remains World No. 1, having spent 48 weeks at the top. His next test is against Frenchman Jesper De Jong in the round of 32. Can he keep the momentum and make this another victorious tournament? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this in the comments below!
The post “Waited Quite Long for This Moment”- Emotions Run Over Jannik Sinner as He Confesses Honest Feelings Following Italian Open Win appeared first on EssentiallySports.
