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Jannik Sinner has given his first interview since he accepted a three-month suspension from professional tennis – stating that he is ‘rested’, but admits that his return won’t be ‘easy’.

The world No 1 continued his spectacular form at the 2025 Australian Open, lifting the title by dropping just two sets along the way.

However, his last eight months have not been easy – first found to have ‘no fault or negligence’ for failing two doping tests in March 2024 by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) before the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed the tribunal’s decision in late-September.

Just a few weeks after his latest Melbourne triumph, it was announced that Sinner had reached a settlement with WADA to accept a three-month suspension, in return for the agency dropping their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

“I’m very well, I rested and I’m happy,” Sinner stated to Sky Sports Italia.

“I would have done many different things, obviously, if I could have chosen, I would have played tennis, but I’m fine, and I’m not even thinking about it too much at the moment.”

Sinner is due to return to professional tennis at the Rome Masters, the last Masters 1000 event before Roland Garros.

“After we took this decision, it took me a while to find myself again,” stated the three-time Grand Slam champion.

“But I am still here. There is still a bit of time to digest all this, but I can’t wait to be back in Rome.

“It’s a special tournament for me, even though it will also very tough. I’ll be back in a moment in which there will be already a lot of attention on me, and in Rome it’s not easy.”

The Italian’s best result at his home Masters 1000 event was a quarter-final run in 2022, where he lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6(5), 6-2.

Sinner withdrew from the event in 2024 due to an ongoing hip issue, which forced his mid-tournament withdrawal from Madrid.

“I was very fragile after what happened,” he admitted.

“I would tell a lie if I said I was person without feelings or emotions. In life you learn, every year I learn more about myself, also about my value.

“It was not easy, very hard at times, but the people around me gave me the strength to understand what had happened.”

His settlement seemed like a somewhat rational decision, with WADA’s appeal due to be held April 16 – 17 and a loss potentially handing him a one or two-year ban from competing.

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Sinner, who will search for his first Roland Garros title in June this year, also acknowledged that – despite having his friends and family around him – he is ‘counting the days’ until his first professional match.

“I stopped doing what I always dreamed of doing. I am in the best position to play this sport,” the 2025 Australian Open champion commented.

“At the beginning I counted the days, but now every day that goes by, as the time gets closer, I feel better physically and mentally.

“Even if there is still time, it is a good opportunity for me to improve in those areas in which I had difficulties, on a surface on which I struggle. So, let’s try to do something different. Hopefully it works otherwise we will have more time to try again.”

The post ‘Rested’ Jannik Sinner admits that Rome Masters return ‘won’t be easy’ appeared first on Tennis365.

Jannik Sinner has revealed he had to accept “the lesser evil” of a three-month suspension in his first interview since his ban from ATP action began.

World No 1 Sinner is currently serving a three-month suspension after agreeing to a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) earlier this year.

WADA had announced an appeal into the severity of Sinner’s doping sanction from the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), which was announced in August 2024.

The ITIA found him to have been of “no fault” after twice testing positive for the banned steroid clostebol in March 2024, and was handed no suspension after successfully arguing he had been contaminated by a team member.

WADA confirmed its appeal regarding the severity of the sanction in September 2024 and was set to take its case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in April 2025.

Had CAS ruled in WADA’s favour, Sinner could have faced a suspension of up to two years in length – though a settlement between the two parties was confirmed in February 2025.

The world No 1 is two months into his ban and is set to return at the Italian Open, which begins just days after his ban ends on May 4, 2025.

Speaking to Sky Sports Italia, the 23-year-old maintained that his suspension still felt “unfair” and “didn’t agree completely” with the decision.

“In the end, you have to choose the lesser evil and I believe that is what I have done,” said Sinner.

“Even if sometimes it seems a bit unfair, all that I’m living, but then if I look at things from a different perspective it could have been worse. Even more unfairness. This is the way it is.

“The decision to take the three-month suspension was rather quick. We accepted it quite quickly, even though I didn’t agree completely.

“There was a bit of back and forth with my lawyer and the people around me. After we took this decision, it took me a while to find myself again.”

Sinner has been under intense scrutiny since news of his two doping violations first emerged last August.

In one of the most emotional revelations to come from the interview, the three-time Grand Slam champion admitted to feeling “fragile” at points during the case.

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He added: “I was very fragile after what happened. I would tell a lie if I said I was person without feelings or emotions.

“In life you learn, every year I learn more about myself, also about my value. It was not easy, very hard at times, but the people around me gave me the strength to understand what had happened.”

Reaction within tennis to Sinner’s case has been divisive, with a particularly mixed reaction across active players on the ATP Tour.

Though he will likely receive a strong reception when he returns to action on home soil in Rome, there is no way of judging how the Italian’s ATP colleagues will react to his comeback.

And, Sinner himself admits he is unsure about the welcome he will receive.

“I can’t answer this question as I don’t know what could happen. I know how things went, I know I am innocent.

“I am calm because in the end I know that what I want to do is to play tennis and be serene. That’s the end of the story.

“So, I am sure all will go well, even if at the beginning it will take a while to start over. These are questions I don’t know how to answer.”

Read Next: Exclusive: Jannik Sinner’s rivals warned Italian is ‘going to play well’ on return from suspension

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Carlos Alcaraz is expected to fly to Moncao on Saturday to start his clay court campaign for 2025 and he could not have been handed a tougher task after the draw was made for the Monte-Carlo Masters.

Alcaraz has a big chance to make a leap up the ATP Rankings over the next few weeks as he missed last year’s Monte-Carlo Masters and Barcelona Open due to injury.

With 1,500 ranking points up for grabs in those events, he will be keen to make a big impression during the clay court season, but the No 2 see in Monte-Carlo has been handed arguably the toughest draw possible.

Assuming Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo comes through his first round match against Italian veteran Fabio Fognini, he will face Alcaraz in the second round and that would be a huge test for the reigning French Open champion in his opening clay court match of the year.

World No 23 Cerundolo is a clay court specialist and he confirmed he is in prime form after wins against Tommy Paul and Casper Ruud at last month’s Miami Open.

He beat Alex de Minaur at the Indian Wells Masters, also played last month, and pushed Alcaraz close in their quarter-final match in that tournament.

Playing the Spaniard on clay may appeal to Cerundolo after he reached the final of a clay court event in his Argentine homeland in February and also played clay court events in Bazil and Rio earlier this year.

If Alcaraz was to get through a potential clash with Cerundolo, he would face another dangerous clay courter in Italian Matteo Arnaldi, who took at set off him when they met in Indian Wells last month.

Casper Ruud is another dangerous opponent in Alcaraz’s half of the draw, with the Spaniard looking to bounce back from a disappointing defeat in his opening match at the Miami Open last month.

The four-time Grand Slam champion was brutally honest when he assessed his mood after that match, as he suggested he needed to reset his focus heading into the clay court swing on the ATP Tour.

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“It was a poor level from me,” said Alcaraz after losing to David Goffin in Miami.

“I just wanted to play better. After the first set, I thought I was going to be better. He played well, he played good tennis. My level didn’t increase. I think his level after the first set increased a little bit.

“I didn’t play well, physically I didn’t feel well. When you don’t have the confidence in your level physically, I think it’s really tough to maintain good tennis.

“I didn’t feel well in my legs. I wasn’t injured, I wasn’t sick. I was feeling perfect before the match.

“I felt good, a little bit nervous, which is normal before the match. But nothing more than that. I just felt ready, I thought that I was going to play really good tennis. It didn’t happen.”

Tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou, who worked with tennis legend Serena Williams and is currently coaching four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka, admitted he was surprises to hear Alcaraz admit publicly that he is struggling with his focus as it could boost his potential rivals.

“It was a choice for him to say that. I don’t know if it was good or not,” Mouratoglou told Tennis365 as he released his new book Champion Mindset. “If it helps him to take it out of his system to say it, to admit it, why not?

“Most other players would not say it, that is his choice. We will see how he plays now after he has said this. We will see if he feels less pressure now that he has said this, that he admitted his weakness of that moment.

“Maybe the fact that he verbalised it will put more pressure on him, we’ll see. It is unusual to hear this.

“I don’t know if this is a Spanish thing, but I remember that Rafa had a period in his career when he was losing a lot of matches and he was saying that he kind of lost his mental strength, he admitted it.

“I was very surprised when he said this, actually, but then he came back to his true self and it shows that even the great players go through doubts at some points.

“It was the same when I started with Serena. She had not won a Grand Slam for three years, she lost in the first round of Roland Garros and it was a difficult moment. Everyone goes through this at some point in their lives and their career.”

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The draw for the 2025 Monte Carlo Masters has been revealed, with all of the top three seeds – Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic – being handed tough opening matches.

At the most recent edition, Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated Casper Ruud 6-1, 6-4 to lift his third trophy in the principality.

Past winners include Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andrey Rublev, Fabio Fognini, and Stan Wawrinka.

World No 4 Taylor Fritz and world No 22 Hubert Hurkacz both withdrew due to injury. Miomir Kecmanovic replaced in the Pole, whilst Roberto Bautista-Agut took the American’s place.

Alexander Zverev’s Quarter

At the top of the draw, top seed Zverev will face either a qualifier or – more likely – Matteo Berrettini in his opening match. The German will be seeking to somewhat close the gap between himself and Jannik Sinner, whose suspension from competing will end in May.

Berrettini and Zverev have met on clay on three occasions, splitting two meetings in Rome, before the higher-seeded player won their 2021 Madrid final. However, the Italian did win their last meeting – with a straight-sets win in the third round of Wimbledon in 2023.

Should Zverev get past the former Grand Slam finalist, he would face one of Lorenzo Musetti –  the 13^th seed – Sebastian Korda, and Jiri Lehecka in the third round. All of the potential opponents have solid clay-court resumes, with Musetti winning both of their meetings last season – including one on the red brick surface.

Stefanos Tsitsipas and Holger Rune are the other two seeds in this quarter. Zverev would undoubtedly rather face the Dane, winning their last three encounters, with the Greek holding a 5-1 clay-court record over the world No 2.

Novak Djokovic’s Quarter

Djokovic will be looking to make a quick turnaround from his tough Miami Open final loss against Jakub Mensik, and may need to be at a high level to defeat Stan Wawrinka. The three-time Grand Slam champion will be the Serb’s opening opponent, should he get past a qualifier.

Whilst out of form and past his prime, the Swiss is at his most dangerous on the clay – particularly in the early rounds.

Grigor Dimitrov awaits in the third round, with Jan-Lennard Struff and Nicolas Jarry as other potential options. The Bulgarian got hammered by the 24-time Grand Slam champion in Miami, but may take solace in his last clay-court meeting with Djokovic – a three-set battle – as well as his sole victory arriving on the same surface.

At the bottom of the top half of the draw, Daniil Medvedev and Alex de Minaur will compete for a spot in the last eight. Should the two meet, it promises to be a tight affair, with the Australian winning their only clay-court meeting at Roland Garros in 2024 – however, there are signs of the Russian’s level improving over recent weeks.

Casper Ruud’s Quarter

Defending finalist Casper Ruud has had an unremarkable season so far, with a 12-4 record.

The Norwegian opens against either Robert Bautista-Agut or Brandon Nakashima, with the Spaniard having significantly greater clay-court prowess and a 3-1 head-to-head over Ruud.

Frances Tiafoe has a 6-6 record in 2025, failing to get consecutive victories at any tournament. The American is Ruud’s projected third-round opponent and would be the heavy underdog, should they both meet.

2025 Indian Wells champion Jack Draper is the event’s fifth seed and sits at the top of the bottom half of the draw – with Ben Shelton the other seed in his section. Both lefties lack clay-court experience, in a section which contains ‘dirt ballers’ such as Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Tomas Etcheverry.

Ruud has yet to meet Draper and has won his last two matches against Shelton, including one on clay.

Carlos Alcaraz’s Quarter

Alcaraz, the tournament’s second seed, may have won many clay-court titles, but is yet to win a match in Monaco. In 2022, he lost a three-set match to Sebastian Korda and withdrew due to injury at the last two editions.

It won’t start easily for the Spaniard, facing the winner of Fabio Fognini and Francisco Cerundolo. The Italian won the title in 2019, where he defeated 11-time champion Rafael Nadal along the way, but has yet to meet the Argentine.

Should he collect his maiden victory, in-form Felix Auger-Aliassime – who has won two titles in 2025 – lies in waiting, with retiring Richard Gasquet and Matteo Arnaldi as other options.

In the last eight, 2023 champion Andrey Rublev is Alcaraz’s projected opponent, with Frenchman Arthur Fils, who loves the clay, also competing for a quarter-final spot.

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The post 2025 Monte Carlo draw – Novak Djokovic may face Stan Wawrinka in opening match, as Nadal-slayer looms for Carlos Alcaraz appeared first on Tennis365.

The tennis world was stunned when Novak Djokovic revealed he hired Andy Murray as his new coach for the 2025 season, but the move appears to have had a big impact in one key area of his game.

Djokovic is chasing 100th career title in what may be his final year on the tour, with a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title also in his sights before he calls time on his remarkable career.

Murray’s presence in his coaching box seems to have lifted his levels of desire and the Scot may also have had an impact on his former rival’s serve.

After years of competing against each other at the highest levels of the game, Djokovic and Murray are now working in tandem and one statistic stands out when comparing this Djokovic year to others.

His first serve percentage for 2025 is a highly impressive 69 per-cent and this is a big step forward from the numbers he was producing when he was at his best and playing against Murray in Grand Slam finals.

Djokovic was in stunning form in 2011 as he won three Grand Slam titles and dominated the men’s game, but his first serve percentage for that season was down at 65 per-cent.

Then in 2016, when he also won three Grand Slam titles, his first serve percentage was also at 65 per-cent.

His service percentage was at 65 per-cent when he won the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon in 2021 and at 64 per-cent when he won three Grand Slams two years ago.

While we are only a third of the way through the season, Djokovic’s impressive serving displays at the Australian Open and last month’s Miami Open have bumped his number of 2025 up to the highest it has been in his career.

A five per-cent leap in service statistics may not seem hugely significant, but that would be the equivalent of a sprinter knocking a quarter of a second off personal best in the 100m or a soccer player adding five goals a season to his total.

At the top end of sport, fine margins are all important and the impressive numbers don’t end there for Djokovic on his serve.

In the 203 service games he has played, he has won a massive 76 per-cent of the first points on his serve and 89 per-cent of his service games.

They are impressive numbers for a player who will celebrate his 38th birthday next month, with Djokovic admitting he has surprised himself with the quality of his serving his season.

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“I wouldn’t say particularly we paid so much attention to the serve prior to this tournament that it needed to be worked on separately from all the other shots in order to get it to a desired level,” said Djokovic after his win against Grigor Dimitrov in the Miami Open semi-finals.

“I think I’ve been serving pretty well this year. Maybe some other elements in my game haven’t been working particularly well, but the serve was solid.

“I mean, this is a whole different level of serving, obviously. I mean, I did not expect myself to top the serving performance of last match, where I had 83%, and I had 87% today. I missed I think five or six serves in the whole match. So that’s really amazing, amazing standard, really high standard.

“I wouldn’t say particularly we paid so much attention to the serve prior to this tournament that it needed to be worked on separately from all the other shots in order to get it to a desired level,” said Djokovic.

“I think I’ve been serving pretty well this year. Maybe some other elements in my game haven’t been working particularly well, but the serve was solid.

“I mean, this is a whole different level of serving, obviously. I mean, I did not expect myself to top the serving performance of the last match, where I had 83%, and I had 87% against Dimitrov. I missed I think five or six serves in the whole match. So that’s really amazing, amazing standard, really high standard.”

It will be fascinating to see if Djokovic can continue this pattern of impressive serving and if he can, a player widely recognised as the greatest returner of serve the game has seen will be a big threat to challenge for glory at the French Open and Wimbledon in the next few months.

READ NEXT: Carlos Alcaraz to regain No 2 ranking, Jannik Sinner wins comeback event – our clay-court predictions

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The clay-court season is about to slip into top gear with the Monte Carlo Masters the first of the three ATP 1000 marquee events ahead of the French Open next month.

Adapting from hard courts in Indian Wells and Miami to the slippery, slower-paced clay court surface is a tough task, with surprise results likely in the opening weeks of the clay court story.

Here is your Tennis365 guide of what to expect as the ATP Tour’s biggest stars get ready to get their shoes and socks messy on the clay courts of Europe.

Monte-Carlo Masters

Date: April 6-13

Defending champion: Stefanos Tsitsipas

The opening clay-court event of the season for most of the big names on the ATP Tour throws up some big challenges and that often leads to some unexpected results.

The sell-out crowds at the Monte Carlo Country Club give this event a Wimbledon vibe as the rich and famous mingle with tennis fans and this could be a week for Carlos Alcaraz to send out a statement of intent.

Injury has prevented Alcaraz from shining at the Monte Carlo Masters over the last couple of years, but he has been practising hard in Spain ahead of his return to clay at the French Open champion could be the player to beat.

One to watch: Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti is a threat on clay courts and he will be a dangerous floater in this draw.

Verdict: Alcaraz to shine in the Monaco sunshine.

Barcelona and Munich

Date: April 14-20

Defending champions: Casper Ruud (Barcelona), Jan-Lennard Struff (Munich)

Carlos Alcaraz is due to lead the draw in Barcelona after he missed out on playing in front of his home fans at this tournament last year, with the French Open champion the clear favourite for the ATP 500 tournament.

However, this event is often influenced by the events in Monte-Carlo the week before and if Alcaraz has a deep run in the principality, he may be vulnerable in the early rounds in Barcelona.

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In Munich, all eyes will be on local favourite Alexander Zverev, who has been in horrible form of late.

He went to South America to play in clay court events ahead of Indian Wells and Miami as he looks to get his game in shape on the surface ahead of his latest bid to win the French Open,  but he needs to find his form quickly to have any chance of realising that dream.

One to watch in Barcelona: Stefanos Tsitsipas reached the final in Barcelona last year and his win in Dubai last month suggested he should be ready to shine on his favoured clay courts.

One to watch in Munich: Francisco Cerundolo is a handful on any surface, but especially on clay. This Argentine could be a dark horse to win the title.

Verdict: Tsitsipas will be a title contender in Barcelona, but Alcaraz could blow the field away and may be back as world No 2 if he wins this tournament and does well in Monte Carlo. In Munich, look out for Cerundolo to take the trophy.

Madrid Open

Date: April 23 – May 04

Defending champion Andrey Rublev

Russian star Rublev overcame serious illness to find a way to win in Madrid a year ago and he will be under pressure to defend the 1,000 points he collected from that win in May.

He will slide outside the top 10 of the ATP Rankings if he fails to defend his title and that task will be made all the more difficult this year as Alcaraz was struggling with an injury when he played in Madrid a year ago and Novak Djokovic skipped the tournament.

With this event played at altitude, it is the fastest clay court event of the season in Europe and that opens the door for the likes of Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz and Jack Draper to use their power game to make progress.

One to watch: Britain’s Jack Draper has not had too much success on clay so far, but he could be primed to take advantage of the slick conditions in Madrid.

Verdict: Look out for Djokovic to make a run for the title, but Alcaraz is the player to beat once again.

Italian Open

Date: May 7-18

Defending champion: Alexander Zverev

This event will be dominated by the return of world No 1 Jannik Sinner.

The sport seems to have airbrushed the reason for Sinner’s absence out of the narrative in recent weeks, with his name rarely mentioned in Indian Wells and Miami as he was absent due to his doping suspension.

Yet he will be back to perform in front of his adoring Italian fans and will be instantly installed as a favourite for this Masters 1000 tournament.

As Sinner missed Rome last year due to injury, he could take a leap forward in the ATP Rankings in this event and a showdown with Alcaraz would be box office viewing if it takes place.

One to watch: Djokovic has shone in what can be cool and wet conditions in Rome and he will be a contender to win a seventh title in Rome.

Verdict: Returning hero Sinner to win the title.

Hamburg

Date: May 18-24

Defending champion Arthur Fils

An ATP 500 tournament in Hamburg will be played the week before the French Open, with many of the biggest names on the ATP Tour already likely to be in Paris preparing for the second Grand Slam of the season.

Yet after a limited build-up due to his suspension, Sinner has entered to play this tournament and he will be keen to get as many matches in as possible.

Andrey Rublev and Stefanos Tsitsipas are likely to be his biggest challengers, with Holger Rune and Jan-Lennard Struff also in the mix

One to watch: Rublev is a tough player to beat on clay when he gets on a roll and in a week when the field may be diluted, he is a contender for a deep run.

Verdict: Sinner is the class of this field and any field, but a run to the final may impact his preparations at Roland Garros.

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Emma Raducanu’s decision to pull out of Great Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup ties next week may have disappointed her team-mates, but it looks like the right move for the 22-year-old ahead of a crucial phase in her season.

Raducanu’s run to the quarter-finals at the Miami Open confirmed she is getting back towards her best form, with her rise back into the top 50 of the WTA Rankings confirming she is taking strides in the right direction.

It comes after a challenging start to 2025 that included a run of defeats after the Australian Open and the alarming incident in Dubai when she was confronted by what was described as a ‘fixated’ fan.

The trauma of that incident forced Raducanu to ponder whether she would play at the WTA 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami, but her decision to fly to America was justified by her thrilling return to form in Miami.

Many would argue her success in Florida was due, in part, to an increased tournament schedule this era, as she has got match practice in and rediscovered some of the form that propelled her to the top of the sport in double quick time with her US Open win.

Yet this feels like a good moment for Raducanu to step back and take some time away from the court ahead of the bigger challenges in 2025.

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She has very few points to defend on clay courts over the next few weeks and therefore has a huge chance to leap up the WTA Rankings ahead of the French Open next month, while she will also be keen to steer clear of injuries heading into the grass court season in Britain.

That is where she will face the task of defending ranking points, with her run to the semi-finals at the Nottingham Open and her last-16 appearance at Wimbledon yielding big ranking points.

So taking some time away from the court now to ensure her body is ready for the challenges that lie ahead seems like the right decision, with Billie Jean King Cup ambitions a long way from the top of her priority list this season.

Raducanu’s decision to take a step back for a brief period is reminiscent of Jack Draper’s move to pull out of the ATP Tour in Dubai in February, as he looked to get himself physically ready for the Indian Wells Masters.

That proved to be a shrewd decision as he went on to win that ATP Masters 1000 event, breaking into the top ten of the ATP Rankings for the first time in his career.

Finding a balance between chasing ranking points and entering plenty of tournaments and allowing your body to recover ahead of the next big challenge is a task all the top players face and Draper certainly got it right with his decision to opt out of playing in Dubai.

Now Raducanu will be eager to get herself ready for the clay court season by practicing on the LTA’s indoor clay surface at their National Tennis Centre, with her comments last year suggesting she is eager to develop her skills on clay courts.

“I’ve not spent so much time on clay over the past few years,” she said.

“It was interesting at the beginning but I think I learned pretty quickly. I’m starting to feel a lot better on the surface. I think in the future it’s going to be a surface that actually suits me. I’m maybe a little bit away from that right now but I’m enjoying it and I’m enjoying the challenge.

“I do love moving on clay, sliding, I find it very fun. It’s interesting, I think it’s different.

“It’s not necessarily the surface that I’m most comfortable on or my most preferred surface, but it’s something that I enjoy the challenge of.”

Raducanu is entered to play at the Open de Rouen in France later this month, but she could opt to delay the start of her clay court season to the Madrid Open at the start of May.

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Jannik Sinner’s former physical trainer Umberto Ferrara has shed further light on the Italian star’s doping saga as he spoke for the first time since he was fired over his role in the positive tests.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced in February that Sinner had been suspended from tennis for three months for failing two doping tests in March 2024.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced in August that Sinner would not serve a ban as he carried “no fault or negligence” after testing positive for the anabolic steroid clostebol during and after last year’s Indian Wells Masters.

An independent tribunal accepted Sinner’s explanation that the substance had entered his body when receiving a massage from his former physio, Giacomo Naldi, who had used a spray containing the steroid to treat a cut on his finger.

However, WADA appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over the verdict in September as they sought to impose a ban of between one and two years on the world No 1.

The appeal was set to be heard at CAS in April, but WADA confirmed it had reached an agreement with Sinner’s legal team for the Italian to serve a suspension from February 9 to May 4. Following the ITIA’s ruling in August, Sinner parted ways with both Ferrara and Naldi as he pointed to the pair’s “mistakes.”

“I want to start with [saying] that they have been a huge part of my career,” the 23-year-old said.

“We made an incredible job, bringing a lot of success and then having a great team behind me. Now, because of these mistakes, I’m not feeling that confident to continue with them. “I was struggling a lot in the last months. Now I was waiting for the result, and now I just need some clean air.”

In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Ferrara explained he uses the medication containing clostebol and blamed Naldi for the mistake that led to Sinner’s positive tests.

“I have been using it for years as prescribed by a specialist as a support drug for a chronic disease,” Ferrara said. “I was perfectly aware of the ban and I have always kept it with the utmost caution, in my personal beauty case. I could have needed it for my pathology and to have it available, being abroad.

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“I didn’t give anything to Naldi, I suggested using it because he had a cut on his finger that wouldn’t heal and made his job difficult. “I was very clear in communicating to Naldi the nature of the product and the need for it not to come into contact with Jannik for any reason.

“In fact, I allowed its use only inside my personal bathroom. Naldi didn’t deny having been informed, but said he didn’t remember.” The Italian, who is now working with Matteo Berrettini, also revealed his reaction to the news of Sinner failing doping tests.

“Disbelief and amazement. Hearing about clostebol, the connection with Trofodermin (the medication) was immediate,” he said. “In a few hours, we reconstructed the steps that led to Jannik’s contamination and I provided evidence of the purchase of the spray at a pharmacy in Bologna.”

Ferrara added: “With hindsight, it’s easy to say that I wouldn’t do the same things again. I certainly wouldn’t rely on the behaviour of others. “I was hurt by the superficiality, sometimes aggravated by bad faith, with which many people treated my position in the affair.”

The physical trainer also praised Sinner for the way he has dealt with the ordeal. “Despite his 23 years, he has shown an extraordinary maturity in dealing with the situation, in my opinion supported by the correct belief of being right,” Ferrara said.

“He has a special work ethic and dedication, this approach leads him to continually raise the bar. Working with Jannik is rewarding and stimulating. “The last time we saw each other was in Doha and we said goodbye. I was very saddened by the end of the relationship, but I was aware that it could be one of the possible epilogues.”

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Carlos Alcaraz is counting down to the start of the clay court season and he has put in some practice sessions at two different locations near his Murcia homeland in recent days.

Alcaraz is coming off the back of a challenging opening to the 2025 season, which included a fine win in the ATP 5000 event in Rotterdam, but has also featured more than a few low points.

His defeat against Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open quarter-finals was a setback and he was stunned by the veteran David Goffin in his opening match at the Miami Open.

Now Alcaraz is eyeing up a return to clay courts and he has a huge opportunity to make big strides forward in the ATP Rankings after a challenging start to his clay court campaign in 2024.

He missed last year’s Monte-Carlos Masters due to an elbow problem and was also absent for the ATP 500 tournament in Barcelona that follows a week later.

That means he has a chance to challenge for 1,500 new ATP Ranking points if he wins in Monte-Carlo and Barcelona, which would fire him above Alexander Zverev and into second place in the rankings ahead of the ATP Masters 1000 tournaments in Madrid and Rome.

Alcaraz has only 200 ranking points to defend from the ATP Tour events on clay in 2024, with the 2,000 points from his French Open win last June set to be defended when he arrives at Roland Garros next month.

Having grown up on Spanish clay courts, Alcaraz is at home on the surface and he has picked a couple of familiar venues to train in recent days.

A small crowd watched him go through his paces at Real Murcia Club de Tenis earlier this week and he then took his team, including coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, to La Manga Club, where many of Spain’s top players have trained down the years.

Juan Carlos Ferrero …

Carlos Alcaraz se sigue machacando de cara a la gira de tierra, esta vez en La Manga Club pic.twitter.com/7pPrZzlw6S

— Eurosport.es (@Eurosport_ES) April 2, 2025

Alcaraz then posed for photos with young fans after his practice session at La Manga sporting a new haircut that includes a tight shave around his ears, with the images quickly appearing on social media platforms.

There is some uncertainty over Alcaraz’s form heading into the clay court swing on the ATP Tour, but former world No 1 Andy Roddick believes the hype around a perceived slump in form needs to be put into perspective.

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“His inconsistency almost sometimes makes him relatable and you can see him churning the wheels of decision-making in real time,” said Roddick on his Served podcast.

“Right now when he is not playing well or feeling comfortable, he goes more aggressive. That is hard. Right now when he is not feeling perfect it almost feels like he gets more aggressive.

“I don’t think he likes getting winners hit on him. I think he likes to be the one that dictates. That’s his superpower. Sometimes our superpowers can also be weaknesses when not used at the right moment.

“I think as soon as he gets comfortable knowing that he can get into a 10 or 12 ball rally and they can’t really go anywhere, he’s that fast, I can create that much speed from the baseline, it’s probably too boring for him.

“Honestly, I think he needs to be bored sometimes when he’s playing. But listen, you bet against Carlos Alcaraz at your own peril, especially when the footing’s not perfect.

“By the way, he didn’t have a clay court season last year. He had two matches, then he won the French Open.”

Reaching the No 2 spot in the ATP Rankings ahead of the French Open would be a boost to Alcaraz, as it would mean he would avoid a potential meeting with world No 1 Jannik Sinner until the final.

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