Andy Roddick thinks that the public will "overreact" to whatever results Jannik Sinner gets in his first few tournaments back.
For months, the public discussed whether the world No. 1 would get suspended. And after he did for three months, the discussions shifted to how would the reigning Australian Open champion look after an extended period of absence.
Sinner's comeback will start at the Rome Masters in early May and he will also play an ATP 500 tournament in Hamburg the week before the French Open.
On his Served with Andy Roddick podcast, the American tennis legend noted that the Italian's body may benefit a lot during this period because the 23-year-old has a chance to properly rest and recover after a very demanding 2024. But being out for a long time also usually leads to rustiness.
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Roddick: We are going to overreact to whatever the result is for Sinner when he returns
Whats going to happen is one of two things. Hes not going to play as well in Rome or the French Open and by the way, its not his best surface, so we are going to overreact to whatever the result is for Jannik Sinner when he comes back," the 2003 US Open winner said.
We will say that really hurt him if he loses in Rome, or if he loses in the semifinals of the French Open, but that could have happened [whether he was banned or not]."
Before being slapped with a ban, Sinner had won his third Grand Slam title in 12 months at Melbourne Park. And since the Australian Open has been his lone tournament played in 2025, he currently sits at a perfect 7-0 record.
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When it comes to the Rome tournament - where the Italian's comeback will start - he hasn't had much success there so far in his career. In his previous five appearances, he only once made the quarterfinal.
Due to the circumstances, this will probably be the year when Sinner receives the most attention at the Rome Masters so it will be interesting to see how he handles things when the event starts on May 7th.
