Jannik Sinner stumbles against Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the Masters 1000 in Rome on his return from suspension

Serve with precision. Step up to the net. Slide across the ochre clay. Hit the ball. Judging by Jannik Sinner's form, clay is something you don't forget. Even after being sidelined for three months. The Italian was suspended between February and May, as part of an agreement reached with the World Anti-Doping Agency, after two positive doping tests for an anabolic steroid (in March 2024), attributed to accidental contamination.

On the central court, the three-time Grand Slam tournament winner worked to make people forget this sanction on Sunday, May 18. With the crowd cheering on, the 23-year-old right-hander first held his own against Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the Masters 1000 in Rome. The Italian earned two set points in the first act, before losing in the second set (7-6 [7-5], 6-1). The Spaniard, world number 3, more relaxed and inspired, recorded a fourth consecutive victory against the Italian (in 12 confrontations), who could be his biggest rival at Roland-Garros (May 25-June 8). Alcaraz also ended Sinner's 26-game winning streak this Sunday.

Despite the defeat, this return home was a triumphant triumph for the latter, who enjoys great popularity in Italy. Nearly 10,800 fans celebrated the presence of the Italian in the final on Sunday, whose reason for absence – which could have raised reservations – did not seem to pose an undue problem.

More surprisingly, the other players in the tournament seem to have fallen into line. Forgotten are the sallies of Nick Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic, who had deplored the Italian's hasty acquittal, who received overly light sanctions and barely formulated condemnations from the tennis authorities. Before the final, Carlos Alcaraz praised his opponent's strong comeback: "It's incredible. I was happy to see him back on the tour." As did his semi-final opponent, American Tommy Paul: "He's not number 1 for nothing."

A kindness that opens the door to the beginnings of redemption for Sinner. Not that his status as world number 1 was in doubt. Nor was his presence in the Grand Slam. But, a few weeks before Roland Garros (May 25-June 8), the Italian was able to gauge the reception he would receive and reassure himself about his fitness. " I hope to see where I am and what I need to improve ," he announced at the start of the tournament, after officially resuming training on April 13.

This forced break does not seem to have diminished Sinner. The latter thus outclassed the Norwegian Casper Ruud in the quarter-finals (6-0, 6-1). The world number 7, finalist in 2023 at Roland Garros and recent winner of the Masters 1000 in Madrid, explained in the mixed zone that he had never seen anything like it: "It's the closest to perfection I've witnessed on a court against a player . (...) It was like playing against a wall that sends balls back at you at 100,000 an hour all the time. It was simply impressive." All the more impressive since clay remains, until now, the Italian's most fragile surface.

"We tried to make the most of these three months and see the glass half full, " his coach, Simone Vagnozzi, explained to L' Equipe . "Even if I was surprised to hear some say that this break was an advantage. I've never seen anyone choose to take three months off between the Australian Open and the Rome tournament."