Fritz Discusses Sinner’s Return: "I’d Be Very Surprised If He Manages to Win the Rome Tournament"

In this Rome Masters 1000, world No. 1 Jannik Sinner is making his comeback after a three-month hiatus. Cheered by the Italian crowd during his appearances on the practice courts, the Australian Open champion from earlier this season is the biggest question mark of this tournament.

Will he be at his peak form right away? The Italian is set to compete in Rome and Hamburg before heading to Roland-Garros, where he reached the semifinals last year.

In an interview with Corriere Dello Sport before his debut in the Italian capital, Taylor Fritz, world No. 4—who will face Marcos Giron in his opening match in Rome this year—was asked about Sinner’s return to the ATP Tour. The discussion also touched on their two finals against each other late last year, at the US Open and the ATP Finals.

"Honestly, the way I see Jannik hasn’t changed. The proof is that here in Rome, we’ve trained together. Honestly, I don’t know what his chances are of winning this Rome tournament right away.

I’d be very surprised if he manages to win the tournament. I think he’ll be physically ready and healthy, but in terms of rhythm, he’ll need to play matches. So, it will certainly take him a few weeks to get back to his best form. I really don’t know what to expect.

The US Open final and the ATP Finals final against Jannik were two completely different matches. In New York, Jannik was unplayable, and I felt like I couldn’t do anything to trouble him, whereas in Turin, I didn’t feel that far from him.

The night before the match in New York, I was really excited and didn’t feel nervous at all. I stepped onto the court with a smile because playing that match was a lifelong dream.

It’s a shame that by the end of the match, I felt really bad—not because I lost, but because I expected to play much better," Fritz said recently.

For context, Sinner will face Mariano Navone for his return to competition this weekend in front of his home crowd, marking his first tournament since Melbourne at the very start of the 2025 season.