Jannik Sinner is back to winning ways after his three-month suspension, having emerged victorious in his first match at the Italian Open.
Sinner has doubts ahead of his next match, despite beating Mariano Navone 6-3, 6-4 in his second round test.
The ATP Tour number one received a bye in the first round of the Italian Open, where Sinner is the top seed.
He now meets Jesper De Jong in the third round of the ATP Masters 1000 event, his first since the Australian Open.
The three-time Grand Slam champion lifted the title in Melbourne in January, but accepted a three-month doping ban shortly after.
Jim Courier shares verdict on Jannik Sinner’s level in Italian Open victory
He received a hugely warm welcome at the Italian Open, with former world number one Jim Courier now sharing how those fans would have felt while watching the home favourite in action.
Speaking of the player’s level, Courier said on the Tennis Channel Live Podcast: “They may not have had the same low expectations in the stands. They were excited to see Sinner back on court here in Rome and he did not disappoint.
“If he had any nerves or rust he was not showing it early on. It looked very, very similar to the guy we last saw in Australia holding the trophy.
“He was attacking off of both wings, taking it to Navone, who is a high quality clay court player and we are talking about Navone yesterday, who is a guy who does not necessarily have overt power off the groundstrokes but today he did.
“He decided to try and nuke his ground strokes as the match went on to try and match Sinner, as the first set he was just getting left behind.
“But Sinner, the drop shot, he has the finesse and the movement. He was very good at the net today. This is a welcome return to form and the tour to Jannik Sinner.”
Jon Wertheim says how Jannik Sinner feels about his first match since suspension
Sinner needed one hour and 38 minutes to make it past Navone, who certainly tested his opponent on occasion.
Many home fans may have feared their star man might have been rusty heading into the match, which was certainly a possibility given his lack of competitive action.
But the hard work on the practice courts has clearly paid off, although Sinner would have also been buoyed by the huge reception he received in Rome.
Sharing his take on the match, journalist Jon Wertheim noted: “I would say he could not ask for anything more.
“When we learned about the terms of his ban I think a lot of people said well he is not going to miss a major.
“Other people said not only that but he gets to come back for Rome. His own country’s Masters 1000. He is an Italian player, he got a nice reception, and I think that is part of this as well.
“This was an easy, hospitable way to rejoin the tour and he did not look like a guy whose last match was the Australian Open final.”
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