Carlos Alcaraz says: “I needed him back because he pushes me to be better”. Jannik Sinner, six days after landing in Rome, returns this Saturday officially to official competition after the three-month suspension for his positive clostebol in Indian Wells 2024 and also in the counter-analysis conducted later in Miami. As a relevant detail he has not missed any Grand Slam.
Sinner returns as he left. He is still the world number one and has been at the top for 48 consecutive weeks.The big change is in his physical condition. The 23-year-old from San Candido has gained muscle mass in both the upper and lower body.
The ban on training on a tennis court until April has meant that he has focused on work in the gym with his trainer Marco Panichi. Jannik, who makes his debut in the afternoon session (19.00) against Argentina’s Mariano Navone, will arrive at Roland Garros as the top seed. He is 1,645 points ahead of Alexander Zverev and 1,880 points ahead of Alcaraz.
To find the last time the Italian wielded a racket, you have to go back to January 26 when he defended his Australian Open crown. It is the only tournament he has played this season. In Rome he will put on the line a streak of 15 consecutive tournaments in which he has not gone below the quarter-finals.
The last precedent in which he was not among the top eight was at the 2023 Paris-Bercy because he withdrew from the round of 16 with Alex de Minaur. It is 21 consecutive victories since he lost to Alcaraz in the final in Beijing
From some I expected something and it didn’t come
The looks in the locker room
Sinner claimed in his first press conference at the Foro Italico that he had not received messages from many. “Some I expected something and it didn’t come.” It is a reality that in the ATP locker room there is a suspicion of a sanction that has not been the same as that of others. Even Novak Djokovic said: “Many players have had similar or the same cases and have not had the same resolution. I can understand the feelings of many players who wonder if they are treated the same. Most feel that there is favoritism.”
Comparisons are being made. German tennis player Mina Hodzic was suspended for three months (the same length of time as Sinner) for a half-hour training session in Cornella last October with Jordi Marse-Vidri. Australian tennis player Max Purcell will not be able to play for 18 months after an involuntary positive test for taking vitamins that exceeded the limit of 100 ml in a 12-hour period, as established by the World Anti-Doping Code and the TADP.
Sinner is set to play in Hamburg (July 18-24) as a prelude to Roland Garros. A good result in Rome could change his plans. The only goal is Paris
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