Andy Roddick has given his take on Jannik Sinner’s upcoming return to tennis and assessed how the Italian might fare during the clay-court season.
Sinner is set to make his comeback at the Italian Open, beginning May 7, after serving a three-month doping suspension. The 23-year-old has not played since winning his second consecutive Australian Open title earlier this year. During his enforced break, he missed tournaments in Doha, Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, and Madrid.
Although Sinner has only one clay-court title to his name — the 2022 Croatia Open (ATP 250) — he has shown promise on the surface. Last season, he reached the Monte Carlo Masters semi-finals and made it to the quarter-finals in Madrid before a hip injury forced him to withdraw, subsequently missing the Italian Open. Despite illness disrupting his French Open preparation, Sinner still made the semi-finals at Roland Garros, pushing Carlos Alcaraz to five sets.
Speaking on the Tennis Channel, Roddick offered an optimistic but measured outlook:
“I worry about him zero over the long term. If we’re just talking about Rome, a small sample size can tell different stories. I’m not concerned about how he hits the ball or his movement. He looked great on clay last year and was a set away from beating Carlos Alcaraz at Roland Garros. Long-term, he’ll be just fine.”
However, Roddick did point out that Rome could present emotional challenges for Sinner:
“Will he have jitters playing at home? Probably. Since becoming a Grand Slam champion and world No. 1, he hasn’t played in Rome. There’s going to be some pressure.”
Roddick also explained why he believes clay may never be Sinner’s strongest surface:
“I don’t think clay will be his best. He’s at his dominant best on hard courts where he can plant his feet firmly. On clay, you can’t blow people off the court as easily, and his serve doesn’t do as much damage. He’ll have to build points differently.”
Even so, Roddick acknowledged Sinner’s clay-court abilities, noting how close he came to winning the French Open in 2024:
“He was weirdly close to winning it. He’s absolutely capable on clay; it’s just a matter of handling a few extra shots.”
