Jannik Sinner is starting to build his schedule after he will return from his three-month doping ban, which will include tournaments he has never played before.
Sinner, like many top players, has the privilege of choosing the tournaments he wants to participate in. This allows him to create his schedule months in advance, as he can sign up for any tournament of his choice.
This situation differs for lower-ranked players, who may need to select their schedules based on the strength of the field. However, Sinner’s situation changed in 2025.
He was suspended for three months after reaching an agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which appealed the “no fault or negligence” resolution from the International Tennis Integrity Agency.
This meant Sinner was unable to compete at the Qatar Open in Doha, which was on his calendar, and he also missed the Indian Wells Open.
Now, the Italian player will also miss the Miami Open, where he is the defending champion, along with the Monte-Carlo Masters (which he likely would have skipped regardless) and the Madrid Open.
The reigning World No. 1 will return to the sport at the Italian Open in Rome, provided he does not experience an injury setback during his time away. The tournament runs from May 7th to 18th.
There is just one week between the tournament in Rome and the start of the French Open. Typically, players use this week to rest and move to the Roland Garros venue to prepare for the only clay-court Grand Slam.
However, Sinner plans to play, as he missed all previous clay-court tournaments except for the Italian Open. The 23-year-old aims to gain some court time on the red dirt before Roland Garros.
For this reason, he has signed up for the 2025 Hamburg Open, scheduled from May 18th to 24th. This will be Sinner’s first time competing in Hamburg.
“I’m excited to make my debut at the Hamburg Open, a tournament with a lot of history in our sport. The fans always create a fantastic atmosphere on the beautiful center court. I’m looking forward to playing at Rothenbaum in May and can’t wait to finally visit Hamburg.”
The tournament director, Enric Molina Mur, also made a statement after securing Sinner’s participation, calling it “a historic moment” for the tournament.
Sinner will be the first World No. 1 in nearly two decades to compete at the Hamburg Open (unless he loses his 3,385-point lead). The last World No. 1 to play in Hamburg was Roger Federer in 2008.
“The participation of Jannik Sinner, the current world number one and three-time Grand Slam winner, is an enormous milestone for our tournament and a historic moment. We are very proud and excited to offer our fans a true tennis festival with Jannik and all the other top players that will no doubt light up the courts.”
Sinner joins Holger Rune, Andrey Rublev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Jan-Lennard Struff, and Gael Monfils, who have also committed to the tournament.
Although Sinner has already confirmed his participation in Hamburg, there remains a possibility that if he has a successful run in Rome, he may opt to skip the Hamburg Open, believing his preparation would be sufficient.
