By Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Friday, January 10, 2025
Photo: Kelly Defina/Getty
The first slam of the season could be Jannik Sinner’s The last tour for six months, says the former world number 1 Andy Roddick.
Hall of Famer Roddick is backing Sinner to successfully defend his Australian Open title this month with a possible doping suspension hanging over his head.
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Last March, Sinner twice tested positive for the banned steroid clostebol at “low levels,” the International Tennis Integrity Agency announced in August, days before the start of the US Open. Sinner was not suspended or allowed to play because an independent tribunal ruled he was “not at fault” for the steroid contamination in his system. Sinner went on to win the 2024 US Open.
WADA is appealing Sinner’s steroid case Court of Arbitration for Sport—and seeking a one- to two-year suspension for the US Open champion.
Writing in his AO Preview column for BetwayRoddick said he expects Sinner to win his third Grand Slam in the last year before being hit with a possible six-month or one-year ban by CAS.
Lead Sinner opens title defense against Chilean Nicolas Jarry. Sinner leads the top of the draw, while rival Carlos Alcaraz and 10-time AO champion Novak Djokovic are tied for third in the bottom of the draw.
“Jannik Sinner is the favorite in the men’s, and he is the person I think will win.” Roddick told Betway. “Will he dominate the year like in 2024?
“There is a cloud of the WADA case over him, so there is every possibility that this is the last time we see him for six months or a year. A lot depends on how his case shakes out, but I think that he is the best hard court player in the world.
“He has wrestled that mantle away from Novak Djokovic after a decade-plus run with that name. I think Sinner is the one to beat in Australia and I certainly wouldn’t bet against him.”
Reigning Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion Alcaraz handed Sinner three of his six losses in 2024. Alcaraz is playing to become the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam.
Former US Open champion Roddick says consistency will be a key to the Spanish superstar’s quest at the Oz Open.
“Carlos Alcaraz is his closest rival, but everyone knows he needs to find more consistency and he’s not saying anything different.” Roddick told Betway. “He won two Slams in 2024, which is bad. We know his top level could be the best in the world. He won all his matches against Sinner in sanctioned events, but consistency is issue.Who is more likely to lose first A Slam now between Sinner and Alcaraz Is Carlos?
“But I heard him at an event in Charlotte, where I live, and he dismissed the two Slams very quickly and spent a lot of time talking about how he wants to be more consistent. To me, I’m thinking, ‘Okay , you had a better year than my entire career, in five weeks! I think he’s laser-focused on what he can improve on and I think that makes him even more impressive.”
