Jannik Sinner doping ban: Former Slam champ gives honest take on World No. 1's return at Italian Open

Former Grand Slam champion Adriano Panatta expects Jannik Sinner to perform at a high level when he makes his comeback at the Italian Open after completing a three-month doping ban. The World No. 1 has only one month left of his three-month suspension.

The first Italian man to win a Grand Slam title in the Open Era, Panatta, opened up about his compatriot's imminent comeback. Sinner was banned from competing in February 2025 after testing positive for an illegal substance in March 2024.

By the first week of May 2025, the World No. 1 will be cleared to compete and he is expected to play the Masters 1000 event in Rome. 1976 French Open champion Panatta said that the break may be helpful for Sinner.

"Jannik Sinner is ready for Rome, a break can sometimes do good... I am convinced that Jannik has used this period to improve his game on clay and has not lost his physical shape, they tell me that he has trained a lot and fortunately, he has also maintained the top of the rankings," Panatta said (translated from Italian via La Gazzetta dello Sport).

"I repeat, I am very optimistic, three months is not a very long time... More would have been a problem, he has used this period to train in a certain way, improving his game and physique," he added.

Panatta also praised Sinner saying that behavior wise he is 'too perfect'.

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"Maybe, Jannik Sinner is even too perfect" - Adriano Panatta showers praise on compatriot

Jannik Sinner with the 2025 Australian Open trophy - Source: Getty

After testing positive for Clostebol twice in March, Jannik Sinner was given a "no-fault" verdict in August when the news about his tests were made public. Amid the controversy of how the case was handled, WADA appealed the ruling.

It was reported that the CAS was set to hear WADA's appeal in April 2025 but surprisingly Sinner and the WADA reached an agreement where the Italian accepted a three-month ban.

Speaking about the eventual ban, Adriano Panatta, in the same interview, said:

"He has nothing to do with the sanction, and he did the right thing by signing that agreement, because you never know where you might end up with WADA. He is a very smart and mature young man, an example for all athletes because of his behavior. Maybe, he is even too perfect."

Sinner will miss a total of 12 ATP Tour-level events during the period of his ban. He will miss four Masters 1000 events, however, with World No. 2 Alexander Zverev and World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz not being able to capitalize on Sinner's absence, the Italian is likely to retain his World No. 1 ranking until his return.