Former US Open champion Andy Roddick said Jannik Sinner will be rusty upon his Italian Open comeback after serving a three-month ban. Sinner last played in the Australian Open, which he went on to win after beating Alexander Zverev in the final.

The Italian accepted a three-month ban from the sport on February 4 and he would look to hit the ground running in Rome. Sinner recently said he is curious to note where his level is at the Italian Open.

“I think he’s doing a great job of being a rational thinker, and I also think that No. 1 in the world, having won as much as he’s won recently, I understand there’s going to be lower expectations, but… Listen, he’s still the No. 1 player in the world. He’s been the dominant force in tennis for the last 18 months. I think it’s only so low that the expectations can go when they surround Jannik Sinner,” Roddick said on Tennis Channel.

“You know, first rounds are always difficult, even if you’ve been playing regularly. It’s not going to be perfect from the word go, and if he wins the first round, then it’s going to be a tough moment in the second round where it’s not like riding a bike for the first time in a long time, but I don’t know that it’s the expectation level that drops for anyone else. I just think there are more questions than there have been, surrounding him,” he added. 

The American said Sinner looked at his absolute best in the Australian Open 2025, US Open 2024, and Nitto ATP Finals in the previous season.

“There are going to be moments in this tournament (2025 Italian Open) where it doesn’t look like the perfect version of Jannik Sinner that we saw in the Australian Open, that we saw in the year-end finals (2024 Nitto ATP Finals), that we saw at the US Open last year,” Roddick said. 

Sinner will face either Mariano Navone in his opening match at the Italian Open on Friday.