Vagnozzi Reflects on Sinner’s Suspension: "I Wouldn’t Wish This Situation on Anyone"
Currently the world No. 1, Jannik Sinner has been suspended from the tour since early February and will remain sidelined until May 4, with his return to competition expected at the Rome Masters 1000.
Allowed to resume training since April 13, the Italian has played only one tournament in 2025—the Australian Open, which he won against Alexander Zverev last January. Sinner’s coach, Simone Vagnozzi, revisited the moment the Italian player’s team learned about his positive test for clostebol at Indian Wells last year.
"It was a shock. After realizing what had happened, I told Jannik we had to keep our heads high. He did nothing wrong—anyone who read the documents knows that.
I wouldn’t wish this situation on anyone. Tennis is a metaphor for life. It demands the ability to adapt to ever-changing circumstances: the balls, the surfaces, different continents. We had no choice but to accept what came our way and try to make the most of this break.
Honestly, I’ve been very disconnected from tennis these past few weeks," he told *La Repubblica*, before reflecting on the moment he realized Sinner was on the right path.
"I never doubted Jannik’s ability to aim very high. But the turning point came in Beijing in 2023, when he beat Alcaraz and then Medvedev right after.
That’s when I saw him do things he’d never done before, especially at the net. One of the first goals we set was finding a way to beat Medvedev (Sinner had lost his first six matches against the Russian and now leads 8-7)," he concluded.
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