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Jannik Sinner is gearing up for his return to the ATP Tour next month when his three-month suspension ends. The World No.1 has been away from the court since February 9 and will be back on May 4, over two weeks before the French Open starts. Former ATP star Steve Johnson believes the 23-year-old has a chance of winning the clay Grand Slam.
Sinner reached an agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to serve a three-month suspension for doping. The Italian had twice tested positive for clostebol in March last year but the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) exonerated him of all charges after he argued that the substance inadvertently entered his system.
Sinner is now expected to mark his return to the court on May 4 and will feature at the Italian Open, which starts three days later. He has not competed since winning the Australian Open in January and has held on to the World No.1 spot after his rivals failed to maximize their opportunity during his absence.
He has been practising on clay during his time away from the sport as he bids for his fourth Grand Slam title at the Roland Garros. During a conversation, Steve Johnson expanded on the reason why he believes Sinner has a good chance of winning the title.
I like Sinner’s chances to win the French after getting a tournament in Rome under his belt. I think he will win the French and accumulate the most points [over the clay season]. He hasn’t missed any time, he has missed tournaments, but he could still be practicing every day, and it is not like he is just going to pick up a racket for the first time before Rome and walk out there. This is basically a three-month off-season for him. I bet he will come back and not miss a beat in the first couple of events. t
Steve Johnson said via Nothing Major podcas
Last year, Sinner exited in the semi-finals of the French Open after losing to Carlos Alcaraz in an epic five-set thriller. The World No.1 didn’t win a clay title last season and it was the only surface he failed to register a tournament victory.
Sam Querrey picks Casper Ruud as his preferred favorite for the French Open
During the aforementioned conversation, former American tennis player Sam Querrey revealed who he would back to win the French Open. The 37-year-old chose Casper Ruud as his favorite player to win the Grand Slam title.
It is no surprise that Querrey chose Ruud, who had reached two finals at Roland Garros, in 2022 and 2023 but lost to the two best players, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, respectively. The World No 7 has also won 11 of his 12 career titles on the surface and always plays his best on clay.
However, Casper Ruud has not been at his best this season. The Norwegian star has not won a title this season; neither has a reached a final. In fact, his best run this season was at the Dallas Open, where he got to the Round of 16.
Three top favorites for the French Open
Ahead of the French Open, three top players have been chosen as preferred favorites. First is Carlos Alcaraz. The Spaniard won the title last season despite only participating in one clay tournament before the event. He has also enjoyed an impressive record on the surface, winning seven career titles. He will be eager to defend the title when the tournament starts on May 25.
Alexander Zverev is the second player. The German star has won eight titles on clay and has a good record on the surface. In fact, he reached the final of the French Open last year before losing to Alcaraz. Also, his most recent clay success was at the Italian Open, where he defeated Nicolas Jarry in the final.
Jannik Sinner is a strong favorite of winning the title. The Italian might be a way from the court currently but also has the tenacity to come out on top in difficult moments. He has been training on clay ahead of his comeback at the Italian Open, and will use the tournament as a preparation for the French Open.
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Stefanos Tsitsipas on court for less than 15 minutes before sudden retirement against Arthur Fils
Stefanos Tsitsipas has had a superb few months, but his good luck has eroded slightly as he was forced to retire 15 minutes in against Arthur Fils on Friday afternoon at the Barcelona Open. Tsitsipas found himself 2-0 down and in reality it was less than the allotted time with most of it taken up by a medical timeout. Just six minutes in, he took an MTO and soon returned to the court and looked set to continue. Only for the World No.16 to confirm that he could not play just a few minutes later which Fils at the time found bizarre. "We played six minutes and will now stop for six minutes," he said post match. But simultaneously, he paid tribute to Tsitsipas post-match despite the bizarre situation. “I think it’s the back. I’m not very sure, to be honest. I was ready to battle for a few hours because he’s a champion. Every time we play we have tough matches. My wish is he’s gonna be ready for the next weeks and for the French Open. I wish him the best. I don’t know what he had, but I wish him the best.” Tsitsipas will be destined for a further ranking drop as he will not defend his ranking points from last year's final spot at the Barcelona Open. Fils now has to gear up for an ultimate test as he faces off against Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals, whom he lost to at the Monte-Carlo Masters. “I have another great match against Carlitos. We had a great fight in Monte Carlo. Let’s hope we have a nice fight tomorrow as well. Of course. The last match was very positive. Of course, I lost it, but still very positive," he added. “Tomorrow is going to be different. We are in Spain. He’s playing great here. I think he won twice already. So yeah, it’s going to be a nice one. I watched a little bit of the match against Alex… Let’s see how it goes tomorrow.” On Tsitsipas, David Ferrer confirmed that it seemed to be a back spasm and that they were looking to see the extent of the injury after the match, so it is likely to be known if he plays in Madrid or Rome over the next few weeks as to how bad it is. Match Statistics Tsitsipas vs. Fils
Don Cherry posts heartbreaking message on social media
Former Hockey Night in Canada host and hockey icon Don Cherry has posted a heartbreaking message on social media ahead of the release of a new book. Hockey fans everywhere will get a chance to read some exclusive insights on the life and career of former Boston Bruins head coach and Hockey Night in Canada host Don Cherry. The book, which was authored by Cherry's daughter Cindy, will serve as a tribute to her life; she sadly passed away last July after a short illness. In a special message posted to his X account, Cherry indicated that her passing came right as she was finishing the book. It's been a difficult year for Cherry, who also lost his younger brother Richard at the age of 87 in March. A short excerpt from the book details more on the controversial 'you people' incident from 2020 that resulted in Cherry's termination from Rogers: The narrative that Rogers/Sportsnet and Ron (MacLean) put out to the rest of the media was that all Don had to do to keep his job was apologize and he wouldn't. This is what a lot of the corporate media shills and people on social media humped on - why didn't Don just say he's sorry and then he would have gotten back his job? To me, there was no doubt Rogers wanted dad gone, so they backed him into a corner knowing he wouldn't kneel to their demands. I believe many people knew there was more to the story about dad's firing but didn't bother looking into it and just went with the corporate narrative. The book, called 'The Don Cherry Story, By His Daughter', will be released on Monday, April 21.
Youngster spurns Blackhawks, opts for free agency after disappointing season
The Chicago Blackhawks wrapped up their season on Tuesday with a 4-3 win over the Ottawa Senators. The Blackhawks are entering the offseason on a two-game winning streak. However, the winning streak is little consolation for a season where they ended with a 25-46-11 record, the second worst in the NHL. The Chicago Blackhawks had a conflict Per Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, there appeared to be conflict between veterans and young players on the Blackhawks, especially as ice time was given to the youth toward the end of the season. Interim head coach Anders Sorensen hinted at issues in the locker room between veterans and the up-and-comers. "There were bad stretches throughout the year, and there were different reasons for that," Sorensen said. "I think there’s a lot of undercurrent that people don’t know about, that goes behind [the scenes], that nobody’s going to talk about." Dominic James turned down a contract Some young players appeared deterred by the lack of progress the Blackhawks made in Connor Bedard’s second season in Chicago. Per Pope, general manager Kyle Davidson said forward prospect Dominic James turned down an opportunity with the Blackhawks and will head into free agency. "Davidson says the Blackhawks offered Dominic James a 'pretty [expletive] good opportunity, but it currently seems like he’s going to free agency in August. 'No ill will,'" Pope posted on X. The Blackhawks selected James in the sixth round of the 2022 draft. He was expected to spend the next season with the Rockford IceHogs after a standout career with the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs. The team captain finished his college career with 77 points on 30 goals and 47 assists. He scored 14 goals and 16 assists in his last season with the Bulldogs. Now, James is headed to free agency for a chance to sign with a team in a better position than one that appointed a coach with no experience to head coach of the IceHogs this season, when Sorensen took over the Blackhawks after Luke Richardson was fired.
Josh Giddey Seeks $150 Million Deal — Bulls Expected to Pay Up
Josh Giddey didn’t make the All-Star team this season. But he’s still on track for All-Star money. Per Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, Giddey is seeking a deal that would pay him at least $30 million per year — and the Bulls are expected to give it to him. That would land somewhere around five years, $150 million for the fourth-year Thunder guard, who’s suddenly looking like a future face of the franchise… in Chicago. “There’s no question,” Cowley wrote. “They’re going to pay him. It’s just a matter of when.” And the timing? That could come fast. While Giddey’s overall season was solid, he caught fire after the All-Star break, averaging 21.1 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 9.3 assists, while shooting a blistering 50 percent from the field, 45.7 percent from deep, and nearly 81 percent from the line. In short, he played like a star. Of course, the question in NBA circles remains — was this a breakout stretch, or just a hot streak? The Bulls seem to believe it’s the former. With Lonzo Ball still working his way back, and Coby White continuing his own rise. Chicago could be looking to hand the keys to Giddey and build around his unique, all-around game. Prediction? Giddey gets the bag, the Bulls rolling the dice on his upside.
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