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The time has nearly run out on World No. 1 Jannik Sinner's three-month suspension. He initially tested positive for the banned substance clostebol in March last year, though the news of the same only broke out in August. While he was docked some prize money and ranking points for violating the rules, he was allowed to compete.
Sinner was then issued a three-month ban following his successful title defense at the Australian Open earlier this year. His suspension commenced on February 9 and will end on May 4. While the recent turn of events was naturally disappointing, he chose to make the most out of his time away from the sport.
The Italian recently had a chat with the local media house ORF Südtirol, giving them an update on what he has been upto. He spent time relaxing with his family and friends, and took a breather from the daily grind of the tour. He also tried his hand at new activities and more importantly, reflected on his own life, which he stated has helped him considerably.
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"I think at the beginning of the three months, it was quite nice. A bit of time away from all the grind, I spent time with family, with friends. I was doing new things and getting to know myself better, finding out where I stand. I think it helped me a lot," Sinner said.
With Sinner's three-month ban set to end next week, he's set to make his comeback at his home tournament, the Italian Open, which gets underway from May 6. Despite being away from the tour for three months, he still sits comfortably atop the rankings despite losing over 2,000 points.
Jannik Sinner guaranteed to hold the No. 1 ranking until the end of the French Open 2025
Many expected Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev to capitalize on Jannik Sinner's absence and make a play for the No. 1 ranking. However, both of them failed to make the most of the Italian's time away from the tour.
Zverev was in great position to do so following his runner-up finish to Sinner at the Australian Open. He instead underperformed for the next few weeks and only recently got back on track with a title-winning run at the BMW Open in Munich.
Alcaraz was further behind Sinner and Zverev. He won the title in Rotterdam but failed to defend his crown at Indian Wells and suffered an early exit from Miami, thus losing points. He bounced back by winning the Monte-Carlo Masters and reaching the final of the Barcelona Open.
Unfortunately, an injury forced him out of the ongoing Madrid Open and brought an end to his quest of chasing the top spot for now. Meanwhile, even if Zverev wins the title in Madrid, he will have 8,985 points, putting him 745 points behind Sinner, who will return to the tour 9,730 points.
Zverev has to defend his Italian Open title and a runner-up finish at the French Open after that. Alcaraz is the defending champion in Paris as well. Thus, Sinner will remain comfortably perched atop the summit until the conclusion of the French Open at the very least.
