WATCH: Jannik Sinner can’t stop smiling as he receives warm welcome at Italian Open after coming out of doping ban

Jannik Sinner, the world No. 1, couldn’t hide his smile as he received a hero’s welcome at the 2025 Italian Open in Rome, marking his return after a three-month doping suspension that ended on May 4. The 23-year-old Italian, who last competed at the Australian Open in January, was greeted by a sold-out crowd of 10,500 at Campo Centrale for his practice session on May 5, as captured in a video shared by *Tennis* on X. Sinner’s emotional homecoming follows a challenging period after testing positive for clostebol in March 2024, a case ruled unintentional but which drew scrutiny from peers and fans.

In a pre-tournament press conference, Sinner tempered expectations for his comeback, stating, “It’s a very low expectation tournament in general. Results-wise, I don’t know. For me, what’s missing is the complete feedback of where my level is. That’s going to come slowly with time playing.” He admitted to feeling uneasy rejoining the player environment, saying, “I just arrived 45 minutes ago. I haven’t seen so many players… It’s a very strange feeling again, to be around with so many people and attention.” Sinner, who trained with Lorenzo Sonego and Jack Draper during his ban, aims to gauge his form on clay, where he faces either Mariano Navone or Federico Cinà in his opener on May 10.

The warm reception, with fans chanting his name, visibly lifted Sinner, who described the Foro Italico’s atmosphere as “like a football stadium” to RAI. Despite his 9-0 record in 2025 and a 1,645-point ranking lead, Sinner faces physical challenges, noting blistered hands from intense training. His goal is to build momentum for Roland Garros, prioritizing match fitness over immediate titles in Rome, where his best result is a 2022 quarterfinal.