“After the first-round match, I’m going to have a good picture of myself and where I’m at,” said Jannik Sinner in a pre-event conference, few days ago, ahead of his Italian Open campaign. After three months, due to a suspension from WADA in the doping controversy, the World No.1 is going to step back on the tennis court on Saturday. In Rome, he will kick off his campaign against Argentina’s Mariano Navone. After lifting his third slam at the Australian Open, this match will mark Sinner’s first ATP appearance. Will he make it worth the wait for his ardent fans with a solid win over Navone? Let’s try to find out.

Jannik Sinner v Mariano Navone: Preview

Jannik Sinner had a dream start to his 2025 season back in January. He went on to defend his Australian Open title from 2024 and captured a third overall major trophy. In the summit clash at the Rod Laver Arena, the Italian outplayed German Alexander Zverev. He beat him with a score line of 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-3. Unfortunately, he had to go on a long break due to the three-month suspension following the doping case.

Although he was found innocent, WADA stated that “an athlete bears responsibility for the entourage’s negligence”. Later, Sinner revealed the key reason accepting the 3-month ban. In a statement from his lawyers, back in February, he revealed, “This case had been hanging over me for nearly a year and the process still had a long time to run with a decision, maybe only at the end of the year”

Once the ban ended, Sinner began his official practice sessions from April 13. At the Monte Carlo County Club, he was seen swinging racket alongside British sensation and former doubles partner Jack Draper.

Speaking of his opponent, Argentina’s Mariano Navone’s 2025 season has been highly inconsistent. At the start of the year, he was ousted in R32 at the Brisbane International. The poor run continued at the ASB Classic as well after he crashed out in R16. Entering the Happy Slam down under, he failed to create any impact. In the first round itself, Draper edged him out with a score line of 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Navone finally had a moment of relief in his home event, the Argentina Open. The World No.85 succeeded in reaching the QF stage before losing to 18-year-old sensation Joao Fonseca. But the inconsistency surfaced once again in subsequent tournaments. Across eight straight tournaments, he failed to make a deep run.

In Rio, Chile, Indian Wells, Miami, Bucharest, Monte Carlo Masters, Munich, and Madrid, he crashed out in R16, R16, R64, R128, R16, R64, R16, and R64 respectively. Entering the Italian Open earlier this week, in R128, the Argentinian began his campaign with a straight-set win over Italy’s Federico Cina (6-3, 6-3).

Sinner v Navone: Head-to-Head

Both players have never met in any ATP event in their careers. Currently, the h2h tally stands at 0-0. Saturday’s match will mark their maiden face-off on the professional level.

Prediction: Jannik Sinner to win in straight sets

Jannik Sinner may have played less number of matches than Mariano Navone this season, but he’s got a clean singles record. The Italian appeared in his only ATP campaign back in January. He played seven matches in Melbourne and won all of them, thus emerging as the ultimate champion. His win percentage as of now is 100 percent. On the other hand, the Argentinian has been able to win 10 of his 22 encounters so far.

Speaking about their event history, Sinner’s experience at the Italian Open has been mediocre at best. So far, he’s appeared in the ATP 1000 event five times. Out of them, his best run came during the 2022 edition when he entered the QF stage. However, Greek pro Stefanos Tsitsipas didn’t let him go further with a score line of 7-6, 6-2. Prior to this campaign, Sinner failed to go past R32, R16, and then R32 once again in 2019, 2020, and 2021 respectively. And what about Navone? Well, he played his debut event in Rome last season. He failed to move beyond R64 after losing against Italy’s Luciano Darderi.

But what about the playing styles of these two? Well, Sinner is known for his strong ball striking abilities. He prefers to dominate the match from the baseline. But he’s good at court coverage too. Simply put, he’s good in making smooth adjustment between the net and the baseline. Also watch out for his impactful forehand. Navone, on the other hand, is also a baseliner in general. Plus, he’s got an excellent agility on the court. Combine that up with his powerful forehand and backhand strokes. He can also approach the net to add extra pressure on his opponents.

Considering the form Sinner’s been in lately, he appears to be a clear favorite going into Saturday’s clash. The Italian is expected to advance into R32 at the Italian Open in straight sets against Navone.