Daniil Medvedev is the latest player to share his thoughts on Jannik Sinner’s return to the ATP Tour.
The World number one is free to return to action after his three-month doping ban came to an end on May 4.
Sinner’s first tournament is on home soil at the Italian Open and the 23-year-old is relishing the chance to start competing again.
Sinner will play his first match since January on Saturday against Mariano Navone, and while his return has been met with a positive response, Daniil Medvedev has now shared his point of view.
Daniil Medvedev offers his opinion on Jannik Sinner
There were multiple points of view that were given about Sinner’s three month ban from professional tennis. Three-time Grand Slam champion Sinner tested positive for clostebol at the 2024 Indian Wells Masters.
This resulted in a suspension, and while some players criticised the decision for Sinner to be banned, others took an opposing view.
Now Medvedev has shared his view on his rival’s return, and said the ATP Tour just continued as usual in his absence, but he is pleased Sinner is now back.
“I honestly first of all did not speak to any other player about it. But tennis is such a strange sport where everything goes very fast and I really love what Casper said about the hamster in the wheel,” Medvedev told Sky Sports.
“It is an individual sport, so I would even continue what he said. It is a hamster in the wheel but there are 100 of us near each other and unfortunately when you replace one of the hamsters they don’t really care.
“I actually saw something Jannik said and I can tell from my side I am really happy to have him back. I respect Jannik a lot and I am really happy to see him back on tour.”
Daniil Medvedev was ‘surprised’ Carlos Alcaraz could not close the gap on Jannik Sinner in the ATP rankings
During Sinner’s absence he missed four Masters 1000 tournaments, in addition to some important 500 events such as the Rotterdam and Barcelona Open events.
But Carlos Alcaraz as well as Alexander Zverev, who are closest to Sinner in the rankings, each won a title in the three-time major winner’s absence.
However, they were unable to produce the consistency to close in on or dethrone Sinner as the number one player. This surprised Medvedev, especially in the case of Alcaraz.
“I know Carlos and Sascha had big chances to get a lot of points and catch him. But they played strong opponents and everyone wants to win,” Medvedev said.
“Carlos said that it did put pressure on him but I would be a little bit surprised because Carlos is so strong. He can beat anyone on a good day.
“I think he may just have had some bad days. So surprised? Not really. It is a tough sport and we are all trying our best and sometimes it works out, but let’s see what happens now he’s back.”
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