Jannik Sinner is finally back in action at the Italian Open in Rome, following the end of his three-month ban from tennis.
Sinner was banned from the sport in February after testing positive for clostebol in 2024.
The world number one has now served out his suspension and will face Argentine Mariano Navone in his opening match at the Italian Open.
His last match was the Australian Open final, which Sinner won in straight sets against Alexander Zverev to clinch his third Grand Slam title.
Sinner will play his first competitive match in three months after a ban that his coach says had a damning effect on him.
Photo by PIERO CRUCIATTI/AFP via Getty ImagesJannik Sinner’s coach predicts a struggle in the first two Italian Open matches
Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of the Italian’s Rome campaign, Sinner’s coach Simone Vagnozzi said: “For a tennis player, when you’re healthy and can’t compete, it’s the hardest thing.”
“Jannik is a competitive animal… without that, he felt empty. Now he knows he can get back to doing what he loves. The first two matches will be crucial to get back into the swing of things.”
“There will be a bit of a struggle… he’ll have to get dirty, sweat, win, maybe not perfectly at first, and slowly find his rhythm again.”
“People have no idea how competitive Jannik is at everything, from cards to go-karts… at everything. If we’re playing tennis and I score a point, he looks at me resentfully.
Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty ImagesJannik Sinner’s potential route to the 2025 Italian Open final
Sinner is the number one seed at the Italian Open, and sits on the opposite side of the draw to his Australian Open final opponent Alexander Zverev.
Should he beat Navone, Sinner will face the winner of Jesper De Jong and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the following round.
In his quarter of the draw are Francisco Cerundolo and Francis Tiafoe, who could be potential Round of 16 opponents for the Italian.
Should Sinner advance to the quarterfinals of the Masters 1000 tournament, he could play one of Ben Shelton, Sebastian Korda, Matteo Berrettini, or Madrid Open champion Casper Ruud.
Sinner can avoid both Carlos Alcaraz and Zverev until the final, with his potential semi-final opponents coming in the form of Taylor Fritz, Andrey Rublev, Tommy Paul, and Alex de Minaur.