By Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Friday, January 10, 2025
Photo credit: Kelly Defina/Getty
The season’s first Slam may well be Jannik Sinner’s last tournament for six months, says former world No. 1 Andy Roddick.
Hall of Famer Roddick backs Sinner to successfully defend his Australian Open title this month with a potential doping suspension hanging over his head.
Pegula: Swiatek Case Evokes Faith and Frustration
Last March, Sinner twice tested positive for the banned steroid clostebol in “low levels” the International Tennis Integrity Agency announced in August days before the start of the US Open. Sinner was not suspended and permitted to play because an independent tribunal ruled he was at “no fault” for the steroid contamination in his system. Sinner went on to win the 2024 US Open.
WADA is appealing Sinner’s steroid case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport—and seeking a ban of one to two years for the US Open champion.
Writing in his AO Preview column for Betway, Roddick said he envisions Sinner winning his third Grand Slam in the last year before being hit with a potential six month or one year suspension by the CAS.
The top-seeded Sinner opens his title defense vs. big-serving Chilean Nicolas Jarry. Sinner heads the top half of the draw, while rival Carlos Alcaraz and 10-time AO champion Novak Djokovic reside in the same third quarter on the bottom half of the draw.
“Jannik Sinner is the favorite in the Men’s, and he’s the person that I think will win,” Roddick told Betway. “Will he dominate the year like he did in 2024?
“There is the cloud of the WADA case over him, so there’s every chance 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 do think he is the best hardcourt player in the world.
“He has wrestled that mantle away from Novak Djokovic after a decade-plus run with that moniker. I think Sinner’s 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 the career Grand Slam.
Former US Open champion Roddick says consistency will be a key to the Spanish superstar’s Oz Open quest.
“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 nuts. We know his top level might be the best in the world. He won all his matches against Sinner in sanctioned events, but the consistency is the issue. Who’s more likely to lose early in a Slam right now between Sinner and Alcaraz? It’s Carlos.
“But I listened to him at an event in Charlotte, where I live, and he glossed over the two Slams very quickly and spent a lot of time talking about how he wants to be more consistent. For me, I’m thinking: “OK. You had a year that was better than my entire career, in five weeks!” I think he is laser focused on what he can improve upon, and I think that makes him even more impressive.”
