1. What can we expect from Jannik Sinner after three months away?
Sinner’s return, in front of his home fans in Italy, will be an event. Not only has he been suspended for a doping violation since early February, but he missed Rome last year. We know his compatriots will be ready. Will he? For someone who has played just one event in 2025—the Australian Open, which he won—he hasn’t suffered much in the rankings so far. He’s still No. 1 overall, and fourth in this year’s race to Turin.
Like many of his fellow Italian players, who can seem overwhelmed by the atmosphere, Sinner hasn’t been at his best in Rome. He’s 9-5 there for his career, and has never made it past the quarterfinals. That may have as much to do with the surface as it does the location. Of his 19 titles, just one has come on clay. This was supposed to be a season where Sinner branched out from hard courts, but his suspension has left him with little time to test out his clay game. Currently he’s scheduled to play Rome and the ATP 500 in Hamburg before Roland Garros.
Whatever the surface, and however much time he has been away, Sinner remains the favorite against virtually anyone he faces. In Rome, he could begin against fellow Italian Federico Cina, then play Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the third round, Francisco Cerundolo in the fourth, and Madrid champion Casper Ruud in the quarters. Alcaraz, the third seed, is in the other half.
