Jannik Sinner shared that receiving a three-month doping ban left him feeling disoriented and perplexed.
The Australian Open champion reached an agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency after authorities accepted that the banned substance clostebol entered his system through massages from his physiotherapist.
Speaking upon his arrival at the Italian Open, on the day his ban concluded, Sinner admitted, “At the start I was a bit confused because I didn`t know exactly what I wanted to do.”
He added, “Then I went home and stayed with my family. I tried to understand better what was important to me.”
Reflecting on the period, he said, “I know how many sacrifices I made and my daily routine was always practice, practice, practice. But at that moment I didn`t have any of that.”
The break led him to realize, “I came to understand that what`s important to me are the people by your side. That they give you the strength to move forward and continue smiling.”
Sinner, who hadn`t competed since his Australian Open victory in January, resumed training on April 13, prior to his ban being lifted on May 4.
The 23-year-old is making his return to competitive play after three months at this week`s Italian Open.
The Italian Open is the final major clay-court event leading up to the French Open, the second Grand Slam of the year, which begins on May 25.
Regarding accepting the ban, Sinner commented, “I didn`t want to do it in the beginning, and also it was a bit not easy for me to accept it, because I know what really happened. But sometimes we have to choose the best in a very bad moment, and that`s what we did. So, it`s all over now. So, I`m happy to play tennis again.”
Despite his three-month absence from competition, Sinner was assured of being the top-ranked Italian player at his home tournament after his closest challenger, Alexander Zverev, had an early exit in the Monte-Carlo Masters.
Sinner, who received a first-round bye, acknowledged the transition, saying, “It`s a very, very low expectation tournament in general for me. It`s a very strange feeling again in the beginning to be around so many people and attention. But it`s nice to be back.”
