World No. 24 Russian tennis player Karen Khachanov commented on the return of the ATP rankings leader, Italian Jannik Sinner, following his three-month suspension for violating anti-doping rules.
When asked about his impressions of Sinner`s highly publicized return, Khachanov stated they were minimal. He acknowledged that Sinner had been banned for three months, during which he likely trained and prepared. Khachanov noted the significant media attention surrounding Sinner`s comeback.
“Let`s see what shape he`s in, how ready he is,” Khachanov said. “Being out of competition for three months is still not easy, but again, I`m sure he trained a lot and worked hard on his fitness and tennis. So, everyone is probably interested to see what shape he`ll be in and what form he`ll essentially build up to by Roland Garros,” Khachanov added.
It is worth noting that Sinner tested positive for doping on two occasions in March 2024. A test conducted during the Indian Wells Masters on March 10, 2024, detected Clostebol – an anabolic steroid prohibited in sport – in the Italian`s system. A second test, conducted out-of-competition on March 18, also returned a positive result.
