Jannik Sinner, the world No. 1 and three-time Grand Slam champion, offered a raw and honest perspective on the mental challenges he faced during his comeback at the 2025 Italian Open, following a three-month doping suspension from February 9 to May 4, 2025. In a post-match interview after his first-round victory over Mariano Navone (6-3, 6-4) on May 10, Sinner admitted that doubts are a daily reality as he works to rediscover his dominant form. “Of course, it’s normal to have doubts. It would be strange to not have any doubts. It would sound very arrogant, no?” he said, as reported by Tennisworldusa.org. “I have doubts. I had doubts before going on court today. I have doubts now about what’s going to happen in the next match.”
Sinner’s suspension stemmed from two positive tests for clostebol in March 2024, attributed to unintentional contamination from a physiotherapist’s massage spray. Cleared of deliberate wrongdoing by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) in August 2024, he faced a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appeal, resulting in the three-month ban. The ordeal took a toll, with Sinner revealing to Italian TV station RA that he considered quitting tennis in January 2025, feeling isolated as peers looked at him differently in the locker room. “For a moment, I even thought about giving up everything,” he said, per The Guardian.
Despite these struggles, Sinner views doubts as a sign of passion. “We have to live with doubts because it means that you really care, that you want to improve, that you want to do something special,” he explained after his Navone win. His performance in Rome showed promise, with 22 winners and a 75% first-serve point win rate, per Tennis Tonic, though he acknowledged rustiness after limited match play. Training with players like Jack Draper in Monte Carlo helped rebuild confidence, but Sinner admitted to Tennis.com, “It certainly won’t be easy.”
Facing Jesper de Jong in the second round, whom he routed at the 2024 Australian Open, Sinner remains focused on managing expectations. His openness about mental struggles, paired with his 19-1 record in 2025, including the Australian Open title, underscores his resilience as he navigates a challenging return. \
