Andy Roddick made a bold prediction about Jannik Sinner when he returns to action following his doping ban.
Sinner was banned from playing professional tennis for three months after testing positive for banned substance clostebol on two separate occasions.
These positive tests occurred both before and during the 2024 Indian Wells Masters where Carlos Alcaraz handed the Italian his first loss of that season.
The ban comes after WADA appealed against the decision to clear Sinner of any wrongdoing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
What does Andy Roddick expect to happen to Jannik Sinner after his ban?
Jannik Sinner’s doping ban is set to run from February 9 until May 4.
Therefore the World number one is set to lose around 1600 ranking points, with any points from the Indian Wells Masters already removed.
The good news for Sinner is that he will not miss any Grand Slams and will return in time for his home tournament at the Italian Open.
Andy Roddick discussed the topic on his podcast and expects that the ban will not impact Sinner’s performances and expects him to pick up from where he left off. “I can’t wait to get beaten up by every single side” he said via his ‘Served podcast’.
“Because I don’t think Jannik Sinner is a cheater and I am also not completely disappointed that he had to pay the bill for his team really messing up, at least in the short term.
“But also I don’t think it should affect his career at scale. I don’t think the next three months are going to dictate the next three years of his career.
“I think he comes back and we see a lot more of what we have seen from Jannik Sinner.”
Novak Djokovic reacts to Jannik Sinner’s suspension
Plenty of figures within the tennis world have expressed their opinions on Sinner’s doping ban and whether or not it is sufficient.
The 37-year-old spoke on the matter before he began his Qatar Open campaign against Matteo Berrettini, who he last played in 2021.
“There’s a majority of the players that I’ve talked to in the locker room, not just in the last few days, but also in the last few months, that are not happy with the way this whole process has been handled,” he told reporters.
“A majority of the players don’t feel it’s fair. A majority of the players feel like there is favouritism happening.
“It appears that you can almost affect the outcome if you are a top player, if you have access to the top lawyers.”
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