'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Andy Roddick has predicted that Jannik Sinner won't be at his best at the 2025 Italian Open. Sinner's opening match in Rome, a second-round clash against either Mariano Navone or Federico Cina, will mark the World No. 1's return to competitive action following the end of his three-month suspension. The Italian's previous competitive outing came in the final of this year's Australian Open.
Speaking to Tennis Channel, Roddick voiced his thoughts on Sinner himself downplaying expectations surrounding his Italian Open campaign. According to the former No. 1 and 2003 US Open champion, the Italian's recent dominance on the ATP Tour makes it hard for expectations surrounding him to be significantly lowered.
"I think he's doing a great job of being a rational thinker, and I also think that No. 1 in the world, having won as much as he's won recently, I understand there's going to be lower expectations, but... Listen, he's still the No. 1 player in the world. He's been the dominant force in tennis for the last 18 months. I think it's only so low that the expectations can go when they surround Jannik Sinner," Roddick said. (from 1:13)
Trending
However, Andy Roddick did suggest that it's likely for Jannik Sinner to produce subpar performances at the 2025 Italian Open, especially in the first few rounds.
"You know, first rounds are always difficult, even if you've been playing regularly. It's not going to be perfect from the word go, and if he wins the first round, then it's going to be a tough moment in the second round where it's not like riding a bike for the first time in a long time, but I don't know that it's the expectation level that drops for anyone else. I just think there are more questions than there have been, surrounding him," he added. (from 2:39)
The American former ATP star went on to cite Sinner's near-flawless displays in the recent past.
Andy Roddick names three recent tournaments where "perfect version of Jannik Sinner" was seen
According to Andy Roddick, Jannik Sinner's "perfect version" was witnessed at the US Open and Nitto ATP Finals last year, and the Australian Open this year. The Italian won all three prestigious tournaments, strengthening his hold on the No. 1 position in the ATP Tour's singles rankings.
"There are going to be moments in this tournament (2025 Italian Open) where it doesn't look like the perfect version of Jannik Sinner that we saw in the Australian Open, that we saw in the year-end finals (2024 Nitto ATP Finals), that we saw at the US Open last year," Roddick said. (from 3:05)
Despite not having played since the Australian Open final in January this year, Sinner remains at fourth position in the ATP Live Race to Turin for the 2025 Nitto ATP Finals.
The Italian's three-month ban came into effect shortly after his heroics in Melbourne, as he agreed to a case resolution settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Initially, WADA had sought a suspension ranging from one to two years for Sinner due to his two Clostebol-positive tests in 2024.
However, the parties settled for three months because according to WADA, the World No. 1 wasn't directly at fault for his exposure to the banned, performance-enhancing anabolic steroid. Instead, WADA held him responsible for his team members' actions, which led to the accidental contamination.
