Jannik Sinner is getting used to three months without being able to compete on the professional tour. The world No. 1 had to make the painful decision to accept the agreement with WADA, which prevents him from participating in tournaments until May 4 (his suspension began on February 9).
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The Italian ace would not have wanted to accept this compromise after being totally acquitted in the first instance by an independent court, but getting to the trial before the CAS in Lausanne would have been too great a risk considering the circumstances.
WADA had asked for a one- to two-year suspension for the 3-time Grand Slam champion, which is why his team of lawyers advised him to accept this compromise.
The 23-year-old from Sesto Pusteria is not sure if he will remain at the top of the ATP rankingin this period of time, but he has a good chance of maintaining his leadership if Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz do not achieve truly extraordinary results in the first Masters 1000 of the season.
Jannik will work mainly from an athletic point of view in the first part of this suspension and will improve some aspects together with his fitness coach Marco Panichi.
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It will be very important to keep the right motivation until he returns to action, which will take place at the Rome Masters 1000 in May.
Sinner meets Vlahovic
In the meantime, the Italian champion is also allowing himself a few moments of relaxation. Sinner spent a few days skiing with his friends in Sesto Pusteria, attended a Gucci event and traveled to Turin for lunch with Juventus footballer Dusan Vlahovic.
The Italian tennis player and the Serbian footballer met at the 'J Hotel' and were together for about two hours, talking about sports and many other topics. It is no secret that there is a lot of mutual esteem and the mere year of difference between the two athletes makes their friendship truly spontaneous.
During the car journey to Turin, the 3-time Grand Slam champion was 'overwhelmed' by the affection of some fans as he stopped to put gas.
