Jannik Sinner’s three-month doping suspension officially ends on Sunday – and the world No 1 will be back on the practice court at an ATP event for the first time on Monday.
Three-time Grand Slam champion Sinner, 23, has not played since his Australian Open triumph in January and has been suspended since February 9, 2025.
The Italian’s position as the world No 1 has been largely unchallenged during his ban, and he will return to action at the Italian Open in Rome this week.
It will be Sinner’s first appearance at the event since 2023, having withdrawn due to injury in 2024, and he will likely receive a strong reception from his home fans in the Italian capital.
Men’s singles main draw action in Rome begins on Wednesday (May 7), though Sinner will not be in action straight away; as one of the seeded players, he receives a round-one bye.
However, his fans have been given an early chance to watch the world No 1 return to court.
Sinner’s first official practice on site will take place on Monday (May 5) at 7 pm local time, with fans given access to the two-hour session.
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It has now been confirmed that the world No 1 will be practising with Czech star and fellow 23-year-old Jiri Lehecka.
Lehecka is the winner of two ATP Tour titles, most recently claiming the title at the Brisbane International back in January.
The Czech reached a career-high ranking of world No 22 this February and is currently ranked as the world No 27.
However, he is projected to fall down to world No 38 on Monday having fallen in his opening match at the Madrid Open, failing to defend his semi-final points from 2024.
The Czech and Sinner will hope the practice session proves hugely beneficial ahead of the event, with both looking for a sharp return to form.
It will not be the first time that the Italian has practised with top-level players since his suspension, with Jack Draper and Matteo Berrettini among the stars to hit with him in his base of Monte Carlo.
Sinner was allowed to return to official practice on April 13, 2025, as per the terms of suspension.
However, his first official tournament practice taking place on his first day post-suspension sends a significant message to the ATP field that he is ready to take back control of the men’s game.
Sinner has won three of the last five Grand Slam titles and won eight ATP Tour titles in 2024, including the ATP Finals and three Masters 1000 victories alongside his Australian and US Open successes.
However, his controversial doping case has undoubtedly caused a huge stir among active players, particularly among his colleagues and rivals on the ATP.
All eyes will be on how players react to his return in Rome, with the build-up to his first match and campaign across the tournament likely to dominate media attention at the Masters 1000 event.
In a recent interview with Italian broadcaster TG1, the 23-year-old admitted he did not feel “at ease” around the locker room due to his Australian Open campaign.
He said: “In Australia, I didn’t feel at ease in the locker room or at the restaurant, the players looked at me differently and I didn’t like it at all.
“There I thought that living tennis in that way was really hard: I’ve always been someone who took tennis jokingly, I thought about taking some time off after Australia.”
The post Jannik Sinner’s first Italian Open practice partner confirmed as suspension ends appeared first on Tennis365.
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