Adriano Panatta defends Sinner following his suspension: "I found it very unfair"
Returning in just under a month, world No. 1 Jannik Sinner will compete at the Rome Masters 1000 (May 7-18).
Absent for nearly three months due to a positive test for clostebol, the Italian hopes to put the incident behind him.
While many have been harsh on the 23-year-old player, others have come to the support of the San Candido native.
This includes Adriano Panatta, former world No. 4, who addressed Sinner’s suspension in an interview with Corriere della Sera:
"Logically, no one liked this suspension. I found it very unfair, and I said so officially. I think he’s handling it well now—or at least, as well as a mature and intelligent young man like him, who has always presented himself as such, can.
I believe Jannik is making the best of this forced break, training hard on clay to come back in the best possible way.
I think he’ll want to be ready on clay, not forgetting that in Rome, he’ll receive the crowd’s affection. That will be very important after what he’s been through.
At the end of the year, in November, the Davis Cup Finals will be held in Bologna. Even there, I think the Italian crowd will make him feel how much they love him."
