Jannik Sinner is making the most of his time away from the tennis court. The World No. 1 is serving a three-month ban under a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) after testing positive for clostebol in March 2024. He isn’t officially allowed to train during this period, so he has turned to other activities to stay occupied. Over the last five weeks, Sinner has been keeping himself busy. He has been spotted playing padel and golf, going skiing, hiking, and even showing up at the Gucci fashion show. More recently, he took a spin at the Kart Planet circuit in Busca, where he was joined by fellow Italians, including former F1 driver Antonio Giovinazzi. Can this lack of training affect his performance? American tennis icon Andy Roddick thinks so.

Sinner has already missed the Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami. Despite that, he still holds the most ranking points on the ATP Tour. No one has come close to dethroning him. With Monte-Carlo and Madrid also off his schedule, his return at the Rome Masters in May is highly anticipated. While his red-hot form in 2024 and his dominance at Melbourne Park this year suggest Sinner will pick up where he left off, Roddick isn’t convinced.

“The fact is he’s coming back, but he’ll be coming back on the surface that is probably not his favorite,” the former American tennis pro pointed out, as quoted by welovetennis. “That doesn’t mean he’s not great on it, but he’s judged against his own shadow, and if there’s anything concrete under his feet, then he’s dominant. His preparation for [the French Open] will likely be affected. I don’t think you can be out for three months and come back as if nothing has changed. Maybe it’s like riding a bike, but I don’t think playing a normal schedule and not playing for three months are the same,” Roddick further added.

Clay courts have never been Sinner’s stronghold. Last year, he skipped the Rome Open due to injury, and his best result there remains a quarterfinal run in 2022, where he lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas. Of his 19 ATP titles, 17 have come on hard courts. All three of his Grand Slam trophies have been won on the hard-court surface as well. However, he did prove his potential on clay by making the semifinals of the French Open last year, where he lost in five sets to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz.

Sinner himself has acknowledged the challenge. “For sure, it’s one thing I think about, no,” he admitted after winning the Australian Open. “You have to be a complete player, not only on one surface but on also the other two. On hard courts I feel more comfortable, as you can see. But I take that as a positive. It’s exactly that what I like; the difficulties trying to understand where I can improve. Hopefully, I can show that when the season arrives.”

While the World No.1 is focused on his return, his suspension continues to stir debate. 

Jannik Sinner comes under fire from the PTPA

The Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), co-founded by Novak Djokovic, has taken legal action against ATP, WTA, ITF, and ITIA for what they call “anticompetitive restraints and abusive practices.” The PTPA’s complaint, which has been filed in New York, London, and Brussels, has brought Sinner’s case into the spotlight.

In its 163-page document, the PTPA criticized the handling of Sinner’s case, calling it “arbitrary” and “selective.” The association also took issue with his silence on larger player concerns, particularly the grueling tennis calendar. Their frustration was clear in the final paragraph of the complaint: “There was no investigation that dragged for over a year into a prominent player who had not vocalized any issues with the cartel.”

Recently, Novak Djokovic himself took a bold stance on the doping controversies in tennis, saying, “The majority of the players feel like there is favouritism happening. It seems like it appears that you can almost affect the outcome if you are a top player, if you have access to the top lawyers and whatnot.”

Despite the criticism, Jannik Sinner has chosen not to respond. His focus remains on returning to competition at the Rome Masters. Will the time away from tennis slow him down, or will he prove the doubters wrong?