Former ATP pro ponders if Jannik Sinner’s "unfair" doping ban cost him in Italian Open loss to Carlos Alcaraz

Former Grand Slam champion Adriano Panatta wondered how the 2025 Italian Open final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz would have gone had the Italian not been hit with what he feels was an "unfair" doping ban. The World No. 1 was sidelined for three months before reaching and losing the final in his first event back.

Sinner reached an agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in February and accepted a three-month ban. He missed 12 ATP Tour-level events and returned in May 2025 to play at his home Masters 1000 event.

The 23-year-old played some impressive tennis during the course of the event. He peaked in the quarterfinal, registering an outstanding 6-0, 6-1 win over Casper Ruud. Against 11th seed Tommy Paul in the semifinal, he lost his first set of the tournament but returned with a bagel and won 1-6, 6-0, 6-3.

In the final, he came up against Monte-Carlo champion Carlos Alcaraz. The Spaniard continued his dominance over the Italian by winning the final 7-6(5), 6-1. It was Alcaraz's fourth straight win over Sinner.

However, in his piece for the Corriere della Sera, Panatta wondered whether the outcome might have been different had Sinner not served the ban.

"I wonder what the final would have been like if Jannik had had the continuity that the three months of stop, very unfair, have taken away from him," he wrote.

On Sinner's run at the event, Panatta wrote:

"He reminded everyone why he is number one."

Until 2023, Sinner led the head-to-head against Alcaraz 4-3. After his four-match win streak against the Italian, Alcaraz now leads 7-4.

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Adriano Panatta remains convinced that Jannik Sinner will win more titles than Carlos Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner with their Italian Open trophies - Source: Getty

In his piece for the Corriere della Sera, Adriano Panatta praised Carlos Alcaraz for his performance against Jannik Sinner at the Italian Open.

"Alcaraz played a match like a real player, extremely concrete," he wrote.

However, he still seems to have no reason to believe that the Spaniard will finish with more titles than the Italian.

"I remain convinced that Sinner will win more than Alcaraz in their respective careers, because he is more consistent, while the Spaniard seems to become so only when he plays against the Italian," Panatta added.

After the Italian Open triumph, Alcaraz is tied for career titles (19) with Sinner. The Spaniard continues to lead Grand Slam championships as he has won four compared to Sinner's three. The pair will now shift their focus to the second Grand Slam of the year, the French Open.