Sinner adds Hamburg to his schedule for when he returns from doping ban

ROME (AP) — Top-ranked Jannik Sinner added a clay-court tournament in Hamburg, Germany, to his French Open preparations for when he returns from a three-month doping ban in May.

Organizers of the May 17-24 Hamburg Open announced Sinner’s entry on Tuesday.

Sinner will return at the Italian Open before his home fans earlier in May.

A spokeswoman for Sinner confirmed to The Associated Press that he will play in Hamburg and said the only Wimbledon warmup that the three-time Grand Slam champion plans to enter is also in Germany, in Halle.

Sinner, who comes from the German-speaking Alto Adige region of Italy, is popular in Germany.

It will mark the first time that Sinner plays Hamburg, during a week that top players often take off. He has played Halle three times — winning the grass-court tournament last year.

Sinner accepted his ban last month in a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency. WADA appealed a decision last year by the International Tennis Integrity Agency to fully exonerate Sinner for what it deemed to be an accidental contamination.

Sinner's ban expires on May 4. He then plans to play the Italian Open (May 7-18), Hamburg (May 17-24), the French Open (May 25-June 8), Halle (June 16-22) and Wimbledon (June 30-July 13).

On Monday, Sinner announced a management change for his business and sponsorship affairs. With StarWing Sports CEO Lawrence Frankopan stepping down, longtime friend Alex Vittur of AVIMA Sports & Business Management will take full leadership of Sinner's business dealings.

The move was made after Frankopan turned down an offer to work exclusively for Sinner.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis