In February, Jannik Sinner accepted a three-month ban after reaching a deal with the World Anti-Doping Agency, which had appealed against ITIA’s earlier decision to clear the Italian of any wrongdoing despite two positive dope tests. Because of the suspension, Sinner had to sit out some major parts of the season. He missed the entire Middle East swing, the Sunshine Double, and the Madrid Open. But thankfully for the Italian, his return is now just around the corner. He was allowed to resume training on April 13 and will officially complete his three-month suspension on May 4. Just three days later, he’ll make his competitive comeback in his home tournament — the Italian Open in Rome. And an American ATP legend has predicted how his comeback will go!

Here’s the good news: Sinner’s No. 1 ranking is still intact. Thanks to missed chances from Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz, Sinner will walk into his comeback tournament at the Italian Open still sitting on top of the ATP rankings.

As the countdown to Rome begins, the Italian is not sugarcoating things. Speaking to ORF Südtirol, he said, “Now that we have less than a month to go, we’re training very, very hard. Hopefully, we’ll get some momentum going again ahead of the clay season. It certainly won’t be easy for me. The first games will be really difficult. But hopefully I’ll be able to get back into the rhythm and then we’ll see how it goes.”

While fans are dreaming of a perfect return, former US Open champion Andy Roddick is keeping it real. On the Tennis Channel, Roddick previewed Sinner’s chances on clay. “I don’t think it’s going to be his best surface,” Roddick said. “When he has two feet firmly planted on the cement, that’s where he’s going to be dominant. But he could have won the French Open last year. He was weirdly close to winning the French Open last year. I think he’s absolutely capable; it’s just a couple of extra balls.”

Roddick also explained why Sinner’s game might look a little different on clay. “He’s not going to be able to blow people off the court like we’ve seen on the other courts, and he doesn’t get as much work on his serve. He’s improved that wide serve on the deuce side so much more on the hard courts. He’s going to have to set the table in different ways on clay,” he said.

Looking at the numbers, Sinner’s career win-loss record on clay is 90-48. That’s a win rate of about 65.22%, which is his lowest compared to other surfaces. Still, he’s shown he can fight hard on the dirt. At last year’s French Open, he pushed Carlos Alcaraz to five sets in a thrilling semifinal.

The time away has actually done the World No.1 a world of good, and he seems well-poised for his comeback run on clay.

Jannik Sinner finds the silver lining in his doping ban

Surprisingly, the time away from tennis has been a blessing in disguise for Jannik Sinner. Opening up in the same interview with ORF Südtirol, he revealed, “I think at the beginning of the three months, it was quite nice. A bit of time away from all the grind, I spent time with family with friends. I was doing new things and getting to know myself better, finding out where I stand. I think it helped me a lot.”

To keep himself busy, Sinner tried his hand at different activities. Over the past five weeks, he’s been playing padel, skiing, hiking, and swinging clubs on the golf course. He even made a stylish appearance at Milan Fashion Week, representing Gucci in style. For the adrenaline rush, he also hit the race tracks. Sinner was spotted at the Kart Planet circuit in Busca, Italy, racing go-karts alongside his friends, including former F1 driver Antonio Giovinazzi.

But now, it’s back to the serious stuff. Now, he’s putting in the work to make sure he’s ready. After being cleared to return to training on April 13, Sinner wasted no time. He set up camp at the Monte-Carlo Country Club—the same place that had just hosted the Monte-Carlo Masters. Training with familiar faces, the 23-year-old hit the courts with fellow Italian Matteo Berrettini on April 17. The very next day, he was spotted grinding through intense rallies with Britain’s Jack Draper.

Rome hasn’t always been Sinner’s happiest hunting ground. His best run at the Italian Open came in 2022 when he reached the quarterfinals before losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas. Last year, a hip injury forced him to pull out, disappointing the home crowd.

Jannik Sinner’s journey back to the court has been anything but ordinary. But maybe it has made him stronger. Will he turn his homecoming into a story worth remembering? What do you think?