This means that the world number will be out of competition until the Italian Open, but Sinner can return to training earlier.

With the Italian not missing any Grand Slam tournaments during his absence, this has prompted some strong opinions on Sinner’s case.

This includes both current and former players, with Martina Navratilova criticizing Sinner’s case and how it has been handled by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

Casper Ruud says what he hopes Jannik Sinner does after returning from ban

Many thought that Ruud had defended Sinner, after some recent quotes were released suggesting that the Norwegian did not think that the Australian Open champion had done anything wrong.

Ruud revealed that these were false quotes in a social media post, but admitted that he would be open to questions on the subject at his next ATP tournament in Acapulco.

When speaking to Bounces, Ruud explained that he felt sorry for Sinner and did not think that he had intentionally doped.

The world number fived continued and spoke about his hope for Sinner to keep his head up before returning in May.

“I feel sorry for Jannik. He’s, in my opinion, not done anything intentionally,” said Ruud. “And, you know, it is not the first time it has happened—but it doesn’t happen often—settlements in a doping sentence, which was probably surprising for a few people.

“When you look at the [legal system], it’s not unusual that it happens when someone is about to go to trial. I mean, there’s many other cases where settlements happened just before a trial.

“So, my understanding, if I was in Jannik’s shoes, of course I would love to have the possibility to defend myself in an open trial, which I’m sure he was going for. But when you go trial, there is—if I try to put myself in his shoes—I mean, if you go to trial, there’s always a risk that you might be found guilty, if the juries or the judges see things in a different way.

“I mean, look at how many cases in the world someone has gone to jail when he wasn’t guilty, or she wasn’t guilty. So, I mean, there’s always a risk that you might be found guilty even though you aren’t.

“So, a settlement of three months—or a suspension of three months—was something that both were happy to do. Still, I feel sorry for Jannik. He will be out, he will miss 4 out of 9 Masters 1000s for something he didn’t intentionally do.

“So I hope he keeps his head high. Me personally, I’m always rooting for him. I think it’s a joy to watch him play, and I hope the three months go by quickly for him. Yeah, It’s just sad for him, and tennis as a sport, when the world number one goes through something like this. And, yeah, I guess that’s kind of my thought about it at the moment, yeah.”

Ben Shelton issues blunt response to questions about Jannik Sinner ban

Not everyone has been so positive towards the three-time Grand Slam champion, with Nick Kyrgios continually critical of Sinner.

While Shelton was not as harsh towards Sinner, the American did not have too much to say on the case and said that he differed to other players.

“Settlement’s over. Case is over,” answered Shelton. “I’m just glad that we can play now, move on. My thoughts are my thoughts, but I’m ready to start playing and stop talking about it. A lot of people want to talk, and I’m honestly just here to play.”

Shelton has been able to play at the ATP 500 tournament in Acapulco, where he kicked off his campaign with a straight sets victory over Flavio Cobolli.

Second seed Ruud also won his first round match without dropping a set, as he looks to go one better than his runner-up finish in 2024.