World No. 1 Jannik Sinner is currently the best player in the world on hardcourts. He won three out of four of the past hardcourt Grand Slams, and his game flourishes on this surface. That's why there is a gaping hole in the men's draw this spring at the hardcourt tournaments.
Sinner is serving a three-month suspension for doping from a first-aid spray that his former physio applied to a cut on his finger before working on Sinner's skin. That Italian spray contained a banned substance.
It seems everyone has an opinion about Jannik Sinner's case, the ruling, and the suspension. However, one thing that is true is that the ATP Tour is missing his star power and ability to win on his most successful surface this spring.
The Miami Open without Jannik Sinner feels like Rafael Nadal and Tiger Woods missing their best events
Jannik Sinner has been a mainstay at the Miami Open in the past four years. He has been a finalist or champion in three of the past four years. He owns a level of excellence on this surface that sets him apart from the rest of the ATP field.
Comparing him to Rafael Nadal on clay may be premature, but his dominance of late in Miami cannot be argued. World No. 2 and 3 players Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz have not been successful against him on the hardcourts anywhere in the world, much less Miami.
At a time when tennis is competing on various platforms with other sports to gain viewers, the game has not benefitted from Sinner's absence. In the 90s and early 2000s, fans tuned into the Masters golf tournament to see Tiger Woods, even if they did not pay attention to professional golf the rest of the year. So here we are with the ATP Tour in Miami at the high-profile Miami Open played at Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins, and Sinner is not here to defend his title.
🏆 1997
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) April 14, 2019
🏆 2001
🏆 2002
🏆 2005
🏆 2019
TIGER WOODS WINS THE MASTERS AGAIN!
5x champion at Augusta.
📺 @BBCTwo
💻 https://t.co/y8VD3zOqQv#bbcgolf #TheMasters pic.twitter.com/ptBg9glOAb
If he was battling injury, it would be disappointing, but easier to accept. This is a different type of absence that proves very little in the scheme of things except to rob fans of the enjoyment of watching the best player in the world play on his best surface.
I think this still stinks. We are trying to keep out dopers… and Jannik Sinner is not that…this 3 month suspension doesn’t help anyone. At least Jannik will be done with this and will have a forced vacation instead. Tennis loses in every way. https://t.co/7xe6apY9rF
— Martina Navratilova (@Martina) February 18, 2025
Jannik Sinner's suspension ends in early May, and he will return to the tour during the European clay court swing. Hopefully, he gets into form quickly so that he can make a deep run at Roland Garros where in 2024, he was a semifinalist for the first time in his career.