"He has used this period to train in a certain way": Former French Open winner believes Jannik Sinner will return as 'better player' after three-month ban

Former French Open winner Adriano Panatta believes that the three-month break for Italy’s Jannik Sinner will do him ‘good’. The 23-year-old, who is regarded as one of the best players currently playing in men’s tennis in the singles category, tested positive for banned substance clostebol in two doping tests in March last year.

The reigning world number one, however, managed to escape any ban as The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) declared him innocent following a detailed hearing where his counsel claimed that the substance was available in the player’s sample because he came in close contact with his physio Naldi who used to spray for the treatment of a cut on his finger.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed against the ITIA’s verdict in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and demanded a two-year ban for the three-time Grand Slam winner. However, the issue finally came to a conclusion as WADA announced that they had reached an agreement with Sinner, which will result in the player remaining out of action for three months. His ban will end just a few days before the start of the Rome Masters in May later this year.

The 1976 French Open winner Panatta recently spoke to La Gazzetta dello Sport, as quoted by Tennis 365, where he stated that the break will do Sinner good. He stated that he is ‘convinced’ that the reigning world number one has used the break to become better on clay court.

“Sinner is ready for Rome, a break can sometimes do good,” said the 74-year-old. “I am convinced that Jannik has used this period to improve his game on clay and has not lost his physical shape, they tell me that he has trained a lot and fortunately he has also maintained the top of the ranking. I repeat, I am very optimistic, three months is not a very long time. More would have been a problem, he has used this period to train in a certain way, improving his game and physique.”