Jan 26, 2025; Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Jannik Sinner of Italy in action during his match against Alexander Zverev of Germany in the final of the men's singles at the 2025 Australian Open at Melbourne Park.

tennis

‘Doesn’t Deserve the Hate He Gets’: Jannik Sinner Gets Support From ATP Young Gun Ahead of Roland Garros Return

Sinner will return after May 5.

World No. 1 Jannik Sinner is on the verge of making a much-awaited comeback to the circuit. Ahead of the 2025 Roland Garros Championships, the 23-year-old has received the backing of a fellow prodigious talent. With so much talk around the Italian’s suspension and subsequent return, Sinner will be excited to get going again.

Jannik Sinner was provisionally suspended from the ATP Tour in February due to two positive doping tests from last year. After reaching a settlement with WADA, the three-time Grand Slam champion was banned for around three months. This means that Sinner will make a comeback in time for his home Masters-1000 event in Rome, before travelling to Paris for the French Open. Can he make a successful return?

Jannik Sinner Backed By British Star Jack Draper Ahead of ATP Return

Sinner is eligible to return post May 5th, and is likely to participate in the Italian Open that takes place in Rome. Talking about the potential return, World No. 6 Jack Draper was in full support of his 23-year-old compatriot. “When people ask about Jannik Sinner, I tell the truth,” he revealed.

Draper and Sinner are long-time friends, and also practiced together in Monte Carlo this year. The Brit won Indian Wells in 2025, displaying some of the best tennis we have seen from him. “I think Jannik is a really genuine, nice person. On top of that, he’s obviously an unbelievable player.”

Jack Draper says Jannik Sinner's presence has been missed as the world number one prepares for his comeback from a three-month doping ban. pic.twitter.com/6VyW6neRO9
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) April 22, 2025

Talking about the doping scenario itself, Draper was loud and clear about what he feels. “In this situation I’m sure he would have had absolutely zero idea of anything. That’s the way life goes – sometimes there are mistakes.” The southpaw was insistent that Sinner doesn’t deserve any hate he gets.

Jannik Sinner’s Incredible 2024 Season

Jannik Sinner began the 2024 season at the Australian Open, where he beat the likes of Andrey Rublev and Novak Djokovic to reach the final. In the title-deciding encounter, the Italian came from two sets down to beat Daniil Medvedev and claim his first major title. He also became the Italian tennis player to win the Australian Open singles title. Sinner then travelled to Rotterdam, where he won the trophy and rose to No. 3 in the world.

During the spring season in the USA, Sinner lost to Carlos Alcaraz at Indian Wells before winning the Miami Open. His clay court season was unfortunately marred by a hip injury – at Roland Garros, he lost again to Alcaraz in the semifinal stage. However, Novak Djokovic’s withdrawal from the red dirt Grand Slam ensured that Sinner became the World No. 1 for the first time. At Wimbledon, the top ranked star lost to Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinals.

After pulling out of the 2024 Paris Olympics due to tonsillitis, Sinner came back in epic fashion by winning the Cincinnati Masters. He went on to win his second major of the year – including wins vs Daniil Medvedev, Jack Draper and Taylor Fritz en route to the 2024 US Open championship victory. After losing the China Open final to Alcaraz, the Italian capped off the season with successes in Shanghai, the ATP Finals, as well as the Davis Cup.

ATP

Australian Open

Carlos Alcaraz

Daniil Medvedev

Jack Draper

Jannik Sinner

Novak Djokovic

Roland Garros

Tennis

US Open

Wimbledon

Sankalp Harikrishnan

A passionate sports fan through and through, I am currently pursuing my MA in Global Sports Journalism. I specialise in tennis and football writing at The Playoffs News, and I have prior experience working at EssentiallySports and Sportskeeda. Born and raised in Bengaluru, India, sport was my safe space right from my childhood. After trying my hand at multiple sports and representing my educational institutions in cricket, badminton and table tennis, I found sports media to be my calling.