Jack Draper is standing by Jannik Sinner as the world No.1 prepares to make his return to professional tennis at the Italian Open in Rome early next month.
Sinner is serving a three-month suspension from the sport for doping, as part of a settlement reached with WADA after he tested positive for clostebol in March 2024.
While plenty of active players have spoken out against Sinner, Draper believes that the 23-year-old meant no harm and is of good character.
“When people ask about him, or anyone, I’ll tell the truth,” the Englishman said.
“I think Jannik is a really, really genuine, nice person.
“And on top of that, he’s obviously an unbelievable player.
“In this situation, I’m sure that he would have absolutely zero idea of anything.
“That’s just the way life goes — sometimes there are mistakes.
“In terms of actually how I feel about him as a person, I think it’s important for people to know and recognize that the guy’s very, very kind-hearted and a good human being.
“So he doesn’t deserve any of the hate that he gets.”
Draper recently spent several days practicing with Sinner in Monte Carlo ahead of the Madrid Open, which begins this week, with top bookmakers pricing the world No.6 at +2800 to win the title.
“I was looking for practice for the week and I knew that Jannik was available and in Monte Carlo on the clay,” he said.
“So I organized with his team to go out there for three or four days and to train with him.
“I mean, look, if you can train with anyone, it’s got to be probably the best in the world, right?
“He’s obviously had a bit of time off, but he’s playing at an incredible level still.
“I’m looking forward to having him back on the tour, because I think his presence has been missed.
“It was great to be with him for a few days and get some good sparring.”
Despite Sinner’s suspension, he is still among the title contenders for the year’s next Grand Slam in May.
Leading tennis betting sites have him as second-favorite at +250 to win the 2025 French Open, behind only Carlos Alcaraz (+100).
Draper, meanwhile, is further back in the outright market at +3300 with Nags.bet.
