Jannik Sinner will return to tennis next month at his home tournament in Rome.
World number one Sinner was banned from tennis for three months earlier this year, forcing him to skip several big tournaments.
The Italian won the only event he played before receiving the ban, as Sinner beat Alexander Zverev in the final of the Australian Open.
Sinner will return to action at his home Italian Open next month, where he will compete as the number one seed.
Ahead of his return to competition, Sinner trained with one of his fellow top-ten ATP stars in Monte-Carlo.
Jannik Sinner trained with Jack Draper in Monte-Carlo ahead of his return to tennis
World number one Sinner trained in an indoor clay court facility with British star Jack Draper on Thursday, as he prepares to return to action.
The pair have become friends over recent years, with Draper defending Sinner when he received his ban from tennis in February.
“I know Jannik [Sinner], he is a good friend, I know with this whole thing, I am sure he would not have done something intentional,” said Draper in an interview with Sky Sports.
“I do not think it is good for the sport that the number one player in the world and someone who is doing incredible things is having a ban, but he will be back shortly, and I wish him all the best and hope he is going to be okay.”
Sinner and Draper have played twice before on the ATP Tour, with the head-to-head level at 1-1.
- 2024 US Open SF – Jannik Sinner beat Jack Draper, 7-5, 7-6, 6-2
- 2021 Queen’s 1R – Jack Draper beat Jannik Sinner, 7-6, 7-6
At last year’s US Open, Sinner beat Draper to advance to the final at Flushing Meadows, as the Brit suffered from illness throughout the match.
It was Draper who came out on top three years earlier when the pair battled it out on the grass at the Queen’s Club Championships.
Could the world number one ranking be on the line when Jannik Sinner returns at the Italian Open?
Sinner’s lead at the top of the world rankings is a sizeable one, currently heading his closest challenger, Carlos Alcaraz, by 2,210 points.
That gap could yet close, however, as the Spaniard continues to impress on the clay courts, having won the Monte-Carlo Masters last week.
If Alcaraz were to win both the Barcelona Open and Madrid Open, tournaments he has had success at before, he would narrow the deficit to Sinner to just 710 points.
Therefore, in this hypothetical scenario, Sinner could potentially lose the world number one ranking if the Spaniard were to win the Italian Open.
- If Carlos Alcaraz wins the Barcelona Open, Madrid Open, Italian Open, and Jannik Sinner reaches the final of the Italian Open – Jannik Sinner remains world number one
- If Carlos Alcaraz wins the Barcelona Open, Madrid Open, Italian Open, and Jannik Sinner reaches the semi-finals of the Italian Open – Jannik Sinner remains world number one
- If Carlos Alcaraz wins the Barcelona Open, Madrid Open, Italian Open, and Jannik Sinner fails to reach the semi-finals of the Italian Open – Carlos Alcaraz becomes world number one
The likelihood of Alcaraz winning three consecutive tournaments is, of course, slim, and even if he were to become world number one, he would be up against it trying to hold onto the top spot.
Winning the French Open and Wimbledon tournaments last summer, Alcaraz accumulated 4,000 points, leaving him a lot to defend in 2025.
Only time will tell if we will see Alcaraz reclaim the number one ranking from Sinner in 2025, but it will certainly be something to look out for.
Alcaraz and Sinner will take to the court in Rome for the Italian Open, which begins on May 7.
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