Jannik Sinner returns to the tennis court at the Masters in Rome after an expired doping lock – without a sign of remorse. And the lock didn’t hurt him either.
When Jannik Sinner talks about his just expired doping lock and about the positive doping test that was preceded by this lock, then he is not exactly repentant. In March 2024 he was tested twice for the steroid closebol. The Italian had to expose three months. At the Masters in Rome, which begins on Wednesday, he is now returning to the square.
Sinner still sees himself in the victim role. This was once more clear at the press conference on Monday before the tournament. It was a hard time for him, said Sinner. And the lock was difficult for him to accept because he knew exactly what happened. “Sometimes we have to choose the best at a very bad moment”said the 23-year-old to agree with the World Doping Agency Wada. This was followed by Sinner’s argument that the drug was unintentionally reached into his body during treatment by his physiotherapist.
Great anticipation in Rome
On the posters for the Masters in Rome, Sinner is again completely carefree. The organizers promote their top event in the Italian capital with the portrait of the national hero, which of all people returns to the big stage in the Foro Italico. “I’m really looking forward to returning to the square in Rome”said the three-time Grand Slam champion: “There is no better place for it.” The “Gazzetta Dello Sport” even wrote that the South Tyrolean is expecting one “Royal return. All of Rome, all of Italy, awaits him with palpitations.”
Criticism by Serena Williams
Sinner probably has nothing to fear from player circles either. The noticeable rumor in the scene has subsided a good distance, albeit not yet completely. There are still critical statements like recently by Serena Williams, who accused the allegation of better treatment. The icon told Time Magazine that it had in the same situation “Get 20 years. Let’s be honest, I would have taken away the Grand Slams.”
Sinner with lawsuits and allegations
Sinner has always rejected such criticism and preferred to tell again how much the situation had added to him. “I was under great personal pressure, I couldn’t talk to many people about what happened. At the beginning of the Australian Open, I was very struggling”said Sinner. He won the tournament in January shortly before his lock started.
Even after he accepted his lock, it was bad for him. He tried to fill the time in the gym and watching other sports, but for his great frustration he learned that he was forbidden to personally participate in events. “I wanted to support my friends in cycling or motorsport. I couldn’t go there”said Sinner. He also had no desire to watch tennis and hardly had any contact with colleagues.
Sinner always knew prominent advocates on his side. “I think 100 percent that Jannik is innocent. I don’t think Jannik wanted to do something that is not allowed”Rafael Nadal last said at “CNN”.
A lock without consequences
The forced break failed briefly and was hardly significant in terms of sport. Sinner neither missed a Grand Slam tournament nor was he bumped into the world rankings by the throne. The performance of Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz was far too changeable.
Sinner’s prospects are excellent. He Returned rested, will still open in Hamburg after Rome and should then be ready for the exciting tennis summer with the French Open and Wimbledon.