Serena Williams' ex-coach says Jannik Sinner's 3-month doping ban could end up helping World No. 1

Serena Williams' former coach, Rick Macci recently commented on Jannik Sinner's three-month doping ban, suggesting that it would benefit his performance on the court. Sinner tested positive for clostebol twice during the 2024 Indian Wells Masters.

This positive tests, led to an investigation by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) and they concluded that Sinner was not responsible for the anti-doping rule violations. Initially, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) challenged this decision and sought a suspension through the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

However, after considering the World No.1's explanation for how clostebol entered his system, they settled on a three-month suspension.

Reacting to the suspension, Rick Macci expressed his belief that Jannik Sinner wil use the 90-day ban to focus on improving his "motor skills" and "racket handling." Macci mentioned that Sinner will take the "negative" situation into his stride and turn it into a "positive" opportunity for growth.

“Greatness takes a negative and turns it into a positive. Sinner will take the next 90 days to work on his little motor skills and handle the racquet softer when out of Position like a Magician. He has the overall Juice now on a few shots he will be more Loose. @janniksin," Macci posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).

This season, Sinner has participated in only one tournament, the 2025 Australian Open, where he defended his title by defeating Alexander Zverev in the final.

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Jannik Sinner expected to compete at Italian Open 2025 after serving out his 3-month doping ban

Jannik Sinner at the 2023 Italian Open [Image Source: Getty Images]

Jannik Sinner is expected to make his return to the court at the Italian Open in 2025 after serving out his three month suspension for doping. In 2024, he had to pull out of the tournament due to a hip injury.

Sinner's last appearance at the ATP Masters 1000 clay court event in Rome was in 2023. He was seeded eighth and began his campaign in the second round after receiving a first round bye. He defeated qualifier Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-1, 6-4, and lucky loser Alexander Shevchenko 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-2 in the second and third rounds, respectively before losing to 24th seed Francisco Cerundolo 7-6(3), 2-6, 2-6 in the fourth round.

Jannik Sinner's best performance at the Italian Open was in 2022 when he reached the quarterfinals. He was seeded 10th and he defeated Pedro Martinez 6-4, 6-3, and Fabio Fognini 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in the first and second rounds, respectively.

The World No.1's run at the ATP Masters 1000 event came to end when he was defeated by fourth seed and eventual runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-7(5), 2-6 in the last eight.