Jannik Sinner’s suspension labelled ‘convenient’ by ATP player who was once banned from tennis for a year

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The return of Jannik Sinner is now just days away, as excitement ramps up in the Italian capital.

World number one Sinner received a three-month suspension earlier this year, shortly after he won his third Major title at the Australian Open.

Sinner has missed the first four Masters 1000 tournaments of the season due to suspension: Indian Wells, the Miami Open, the Monte-Carlo Masters, and the Madrid Open.

The timing of his return does, however, allow the 23-year-old to compete at his home Italian Open in Rome.

He also avoided missing out on any of the remaining three Grand Slam events in 2025, as Sinner will be free to play at the French Open later this month.

Since news broke of Sinner’s positive test last year, fans, pundits, and players have all shared their thoughts on one of the biggest controversies the sport has seen in recent times.

With the Italian set to return to the court later this week, another ATP star who received a ban from tennis has now labelled the timing of Sinner’s ban as ‘convenient’.

Dan Evans says ‘a lot of players’ agree that the timing of Jannik Sinner’s suspension was ‘convenient’

Speaking to BBC 5 Live Sport, former British number one Dan Evans revealed what a lot of tennis players are thinking about Sinner’s three-month suspension.

“The whole thing is pretty convenient is what I think a lot of the players are thinking,” he said.

“The comeback in Rome, at home, massive for Italian tennis. It seems pretty convenient.

“This is not Jannik’s [Sinner] problem, this is a tennis problem. From the outside, from the public, they are looking in and thinking he has had preferential treatment. 

“The ranking where it is as well adds to that. It is a difficult one to pick the bones out of.”

Former British star Naomi Broady agreed and explained why other players aren’t ‘happy’ with how the situation has been dealt with.

“The issue has been that it’s felt [like] he’s received preferential treatment,” she said.

“I think that’s what a lot of the players have not been happy about. It’s the lack of consistency.

“Even the fact that you can come to an agreement on how long you’re banned. The goalposts shouldn’t move.

“If you’ve tested positive, that’s your ban. I don’t know why you should be able to negotiate. That to me doesn’t make much sense.

“Even the way that he was still able to play whilst the case was still ongoing. For all the other players, if you test positive, you sit on the sidelines and you wait.

“We saw that with Simona Halep, you sit on the sidelines and wait, for some people it’s years, it can take a really long time.”

Halep retired from tennis in 2025, months after she was finally cleared to return to the sport, following her lengthy ban.

Evans’ comments on Sinner’s suspension are particularly interesting, as he himself served a ban from tennis back in 2017.

Why was Dan Evans banned from tennis and did he perform better or worse upon his return?

In April 2017, Evans tested positive for Cocaine and was handed a one-year ban from competition.

He had qualified for his first tour-level final just a few months earlier, breaking into the world’s top 50 in the process.

Determined to get back to his best and push on, Evans took his game to another level when he returned to tennis in April 2018.

Evans won two ATP titles after receiving a one-year ban, taking down Felix Auger-Aliassime in Murray River, Australia, and Tallon Griekspoor at the Washington Open.

The Brit also produced two standout performances at the Masters 1000 level, reaching the semi-finals of the Monte-Carlo Masters in 2021 and the Canadian Open in 2022.

He secured his sole win over a world number one en route to the semis in Monaco four years ago, when he dismantled Novak Djokovic in straight sets, 6-4, 7-5.

Evans may even look back on his run to the last four in Canada as a missed opportunity, falling to eventual champion and fellow unseeded player, Pablo Carreno Busta in a three-set thriller, 5-7, 7-6, 2-6.

The 34-year-old’s performances have dropped off recently, but it’s fair to say he enjoyed an impressive stint battling it out against the very best in men’s tennis.

Sinner could perhaps take inspiration from Evans as he looks to return from suspension with the same vigour and determination the two-time ATP Tour champion showed seven years ago.

The world number one will return from suspension to take on either Mariano Navone or Federico Cina in his opening match at the Italian Open on Friday, May 9.