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PARIS (AP) — Jannik Sinner passed his first test back on tour after a doping ban — a run to last weekend's final at the Italian Open, where his tennis felt good and looked good, and the statistics he studied afterward backed that up.
Now comes a whole new set of challenges for the 23-year-old Italian at the French Open, which begins Sunday: a crowd that could be pulling for his local opponents instead of for him; the extra rigors of best-of-five-set matches instead of best-of-three; the added pressure and importance of a major tournament.
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“We have seen a couple of things where I can improve, and Grand Slams are just different. You have to be mentally ready. Physically, too, trying to use the right energy. It’s all about being consistent and solid,” Sinner said at a news conference at Roland-Garros on Friday.
“Yeah,” he added. “Let's see if I can do that.”
A year ago on the red clay in Paris, Sinner made it to the semifinals before blowing a two-sets-to-one lead and losing to his top rival, eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz. Despite that setback, Sinner rose to the top of the ATP rankings on the day after the French Open concluded, marking his first appearance at No. 1.
He's still occupying that spot, maintaining his status even after not being allowed to play for three months while suspended. It was a unique case: After Sinner tested positive twice for a banned steroid in March 2024 — once at a tournament, once eight days later — no one knew he was being investigated until an announcement that he was cleared shortly before the U.S. Open began in August. The ruling accepted his explanation that two members of his team were to blame for accidentally exposing Sinner to the banned substance.
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But the World Anti-Doping Agency appealed that exoneration, and Sinner agreed to serve a short ban that was timed in such a way as to allow him not to miss a Slam event or the Masters 1000 event held in his country.
Sinner has won three of the past five major trophies — two at the Australian Open, including this January, and at the U.S. Open last season — and Alcaraz has grabbed the other pair in that span, at the French Open and Wimbledon in 2024.
“The goal (in Rome) was to win couple of matches, and I ended up in the final, which is a huge extra for me,” said Sinner, who was defeated by Alcaraz for the title there. “Hopefully this can give me, then, some confidence for here in Paris.”
His journey in the bracket will begin against a Frenchman, Arthur Rinderknech. Win that, and Sinner would face another player from the host country: Terence Atmane or Richard Gasquet, two wild-card recipients.
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Asked Friday about what sort of reception he expects from the spectators at Roland-Garros, as compared to in Italy, Sinner said: “It’s definitely going to be different. I know that. But I don’t think they have something against me. It’s right that they support the players who are from here."
Last year's runner-up to Alcaraz at the French Open, Alexander Zverev, expects Sinner to be received warmly.
“Jannik is loved, and he will always be loved by tennis fans,” Zverev said, “so if I'm in his shoes, I'm not too worried about the crowd too much.”
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Howard Fendrich has been the AP’s tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: https://apnews.com/author/howard-fendrich. More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
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