Jannik Sinner is gearing up to return to the ATP Tour for the clay court season after being banned for three months.
Sinner recently broke his silence, speaking to the media ahead of his scheduled return to tennis at the Italian Open.
The world number one has spoken about the decision that led to him accepting a three month suspension, with Sinner admitting it has been a difficult period of his life.
Despite being unable to compete since winning the Australian Open, Sinner is still top of the ATP rankings after his rivals have stumbled in his absence.
Steve Johnson predicts whether Jannik Sinner will win the French Open
Sinner has been training on clay during his time away from the sport, as he bids to win his fourth major title at Roland Garros.
When discussing Sinner on the Nothing Major Podcast, former ATP players Jack Sock and Steve Johnson explained that they expected the Italian to continue his dominance upon his return.
Johnson expanded on this and revealed that he backed Sinner to win Roland Garros for the first time in June.
“I honestly think Sinner has not lost a step and he comes in and balls out like he was,” said Sock.
Johnson responded, “I like Sinner’s chances to win the French after getting a tournament in Rome under his belt. I think he will win the French and accumulate the most points [over clay season].
“He hasn’t missed any time, he has missed tournaments but he could still be practicing every day and it is not like he is just going to pick up a racket for the first time before Rome and walk out there.
“This is basically a three month off season for him. I bet he will come back and not miss a beat in the first couple of events.”
Jannik Sinner’s record at the French Open
Sinner has a 76% win percentage at Roland Garros, achieving his best result last year after reaching the semi-finals.
It was in this semi-final where Sinner was beaten by Carlos Alcaraz, who went onto win the title, in five sets.
Despite hard courts being Sinner’s best surface in 2025, Roland Garros was actually the first major tournament where he reached the quarter-finals.
This is where Sinner lost to Rafael Nadal in 2020, who he would also lose to at Roland Garros a year later in the fourth round.
| Year | Outcome | Match Sinner Lost |
| 2020 | Quarter-final | Rafael Nadal (2) beat Sinner, 7-6(4) 6-4 61 |
| 2021 | Fourth Round | Rafael Nadal (3) beat Sinner, 7-5 6-3 6-0 |
| 2022 | Fourth Round | Andrey Rublev (7) beat Sinner, 1-6 6-4 2-0 (Sinner retired) |
| 2023 | Second Round | Daniel Altmaier beat Sinner, 6(0)-7 7-6(7) 1-6 7-6(4) 7-5 |
| 2024 | Semi-final | Carlos Alcaraz (3) beat Sinner, 2-6 6-3 3-6 6-4 6-3 |
Before Sinner returns to Grand Slam competition he will play his first tournament back at the Italian Open, that begins on May 7.
That is not the only tournament that the 23-year-old will play ahead of Roland Garros, with Sinner also entering the Hamburg Open.
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