When Jannik Sinner lifted the Australian Open trophy in late January, nobody knew we would not see him on a court again for over 100 days.
Three weeks after his third Grand Slam triumph it was announced the world number one had accepted a three-month ban for failing two doping tests in March 2024.
Sinner had been cleared of any wrongdoing by an independent panel after testing positive for the banned substance clostebol.
But the 23-year-old Italian was subsequently told he should bear responsibility “for [his] entourage’s negligence” and received a suspension which ends on Sunday night.
With Sinner set to make his comeback at the Italian Open in the coming days, BBC Sport explains how he has not been usurped at the top of the ATP rankings and what has been happening over the course of his ban.
How Sinner has remained the world’s best
When Sinner steps back on court in Rome this week, he will still be ranked as the world’s leading men’s player.
Defending the Australian Open title opened up a huge gap of 3,695 points to Germany’s Alexander Zverev – the player Sinner beat in the Melbourne final.
But, with four Masters tournaments to be played in Sinner’s absence, it appeared there was ample opportunity for Zverev or Carlos Alcaraz to dislodge him.
