Sinner : “There are still some distant players… but it’s their opinion”
After serving a three-month ban, Jannik Sinner remains unfazed by locker-room opinions and focused on his own journey
Jannik Sinner, Roland-Garros 2025 | © © Dante Badano / Psnewz
Jannik Sinner is only playing his second tournament since his three-month ban, and not everything has been forgotten between him and some players on Tour who believe the world No. 1 benefited from double standards after his positive test in 2024.
“There are definitely still some players who are… let’s say, a bit distant. But I always think that their opinion — how can I say it — it’s their opinion, not mine. And it doesn’t change how I see myself,” Sinner answered in Italian after defeating Bublik in Roland-Garros quarter-finals.
His response was made to the following question : “In Rome, you mentioned that many players, before or after everything, didn’t reach out. Did anyone get in touch unexpectedly? Has something changed? When you go into the locker room now, is it more relaxed? Can you joke, laugh, feel comfortable with everyone? Or are you still a little guarded because of what happened? Maybe someone wasn’t how you expected them to be?”
“It matters little,” Sinner continued. “What matters more is what the people around me think — and especially what I think of myself. That’s way more important than what others think. But yes, I feel freer now. I enjoy it more. I feel more relaxed on Tour.”
Sinner: “In the end, it’s just names, just people”
“In the end, it’s just names, just people — if you don’t let them affect you, it really feels different.”
Sinner insists that reaching the semi-finals at Roland-Garros for the second year in a row is still a major achievement for him. Without directly answering whether that was “enough,” he said: “I’ve followed a path, especially since last year — a very consistent, very important journey. I’ve had incredible results. I’ve reached a lot of finals, I’ve always gone deep in tournaments. That’s the result of so much hard work coming together — and so I’m happy.”
“There will come a time, sure, when things won’t go so well, when I won’t get this far. So these moments — they need to be appreciated. A Grand Slam semi-final is a big achievement. A really big one.
I don’t take any of this for granted. But I also don’t show up just to be here — I’m here to give everything, to try to win the next match. If I succeed, great. If not — the most important thing is knowing I gave it my all. No regrets.”
