At the Italian Open, world No. 1 tennis star Jannik Sinner received an incredible applause as he triumphantly returned to the court following a three-month drug sentence.

 After his suspension officially ended on Monday, the Italian player returned to tennis with a red carpet greeting.  An enthusiastic audience of about 5,000 spectators supported him during his first practice session at the famous competition, generating a sense of excitement and anticipation.

Sinner had not competed since winning the Australian Open for the second time in a row in January.  After receiving a bye in the tournament’s first round beginning on May 25, he will face either No. 99 Mariano Navone or the talented 18-year-old Italian wild card Federico Cina on Saturday in his comeback match.

 The stakes are even higher because this year’s Italian Open is particularly significant because it’s the first time a top-ranked Italian player has competed.  The audience was captivated by Sinner’s live broadcast of his training session, which even prompted headlines like “Habemus Sinner,” a satirical reference to the term “Habemus Papam!” used before papal elections.

Sinner reflected on his comeback and said, “I’m not sure.  To be honest, I consider myself to be a straightforward 23-year-old.  I can play tennis well, but I’m not making a difference in the world.  Recalling, “I always remember that I come from a small town of 2,000 people,” he highlighted his modest upbringing.  It’s a huge deal to be playing in front of so many people here in Rome.”

 In February, Sinner reached a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and was suspended for three months.  “At the beginning, I was a little confused because I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do,” he freely acknowledged.  After that, I returned home and remained with my relatives.  I made an effort to better grasp my priorities.

Sinner said, “My daily routine was always practice, practice, practice,” as he considered the sacrifices he had made while he was away from the sport.  However, I had none of that at the time.  I realized that the people I’m with are what matter most to me.  They provide you with the courage to keep smiling and go on.

He also talked about his training schedule during the break, saying, “We restarted pretty slowly after going nearly a month without touching a racket.  Blisters formed on my hands as we increased the pressure.  I hadn’t had that experience in a long time.”

Sinner was exonerated of doping charges by the International Tennis Integrity Agency in March 2024, claiming that the incident was caused by an unintentional contamination with a prohibited anabolic steroid.  But after WADA challenged that ruling, a compromise was reached, raising questions among other athletes about whether he had been given leniency.

 “I didn’t want to do it in the beginning, and it was a bit not easy for me to accept it, because I know what really happened,” Sinner said in reference to the settlement negotiation.  However, there are instances when we must make the best decision in a dire situation, and that is what we did.  It’s all over now, then.  I’m glad to be playing tennis once more.