Jannik Sinner returned to the court with a bang, coming through what was his first match after serving a three-month ban. The world No. 1 agreed to serve the suspension as part of a case-resolution agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency back in February and was cleared to return on Sunday, May 4.
It was something of a homecoming for Sinner, who was playing his home tournament in Italy for the first time since 2023, as a hip injury ruled him out last year. The top seed enjoyed a warm welcome onto Campo Centrale and made a statement as he earned a straightforward 6-3 6-4 victory over Mariano Navone.
Nobody knew what to expect when Sinner came out for his first match in more than three months. The 23-year-old had not played competitively since defending his Australian Open title in January.
For much of his suspension, Sinner was prohibited from training at official facilities or practising with other professional players. The training restrictions were lifted on April 13 and he enjoyed practice sessions with Jack Draper, Holger Rune, and Lorenzo Sonego, among others.
But the real test came on Saturday night, when he finally got to play an official tour-level match. As the top seed, Sinner got a bye directly into the second round, where he faced Navone – a former top-30 player who now sits at No. 99 in the world.
The 23-year-old was warmly welcomed onto the main stadium court in Rome with rapturous applause. Chants of ‘Ole Sinner’ broke out during the warm-up and continued on and off throughout the match.
For all of the questions and uncertainties around Sinner’s level, the 23-year-old made a statement, picking up exactly where he left off in Melbourne at the start of the year.
During Sinner’s absence, no other player had been able to surpass him in the rankings to take the No. 1 spot. And the Italian proved he was still one of the world’s best, even after spending three months on the sidelines.
Sinner saved a break point early on and finished off the game with an overhead winner, puffing his cheeks in relief when the ball clipped the net but still managed to land inside the lines.
After facing an early test, he responded immediately, breaking Navone in the very next game. It took 42 minutes for Sinner to close out the first set, hitting 11 winners to 11 unforced errors.
Things went a bit flat in the second set, and Sinner’s level dropped slightly as he saved another break point. But there was still little Navone could do to take control of the match.
The pair traded breaks to level the score at 4-4 in the second set, with Navone winning a game on the Sinner serve for the first time
But the world No. 1 raised his level when it mattered and immediately broke again to give himself the chance to close out the match. After more than three months away, there were no clear signs of serves when he stepped up to serve for it, and Sinner sealed victory on his first match point.
While it wasn’t Sinner’s best match, his ability to return from a suspension and immediately seal a routine victory will come as a warning message to the rest of the tour. Once he has a few more rounds under his belt, he could return to his unstoppable self.