Sinner stewing as return to tennis draws near

Jannik Sinner has broken his silence as the end of his three-month ban from tennis nears, with the world No. 1 admitting it will take “a little time to find myself again.”

The Italian gave his thoughts to SkySports Italia as he prepares to resume training in a few weeks with his ban for involuntary doping infractions ending on May 4, just a fortnight before the start of Roland Garros.

Sinner signed an agreement with anti-doping body WADA to serve time away from the sport which he dominated in 2024 after inadvertently ingesting a banned substance off the hands of his now-ex masseur last season.

The player called the entire episode “a little unfair” but accepted an ad-hoc sanction arrangement. 

“It could have been much worse. We accepted (the suspension) quickly, even if I did not really agree . 

“We had to choose the lesser of two evils and I think that’s what we did. What I’m going through is a little unfair, but if you look at it, it could have been much worse – it could have been even more unfair “

The 23-year-old added: “Once I made that decision, it took me a little time to find myself again. Other things happened, beyond this affair, which weren’t easy for me.

“It will take me a little more time to digest all of that, but I’m here. I can’t wait to make my return to Rome (Masters which begins a few days after his return).”

Sinner, a two-time Australian Open champion who also holds the US open crown. is unsure of his reception by peers when he comes back to the Tour in Rome.

“I don’t know what could happen .  I’m certain of how things happened – I’m innocent. 

“I want to play tennis and be very calm, that’s the end of it. I’m sure everything will be fine, even if it might take a while to get going again at first .”

Despite being out of action, Sinner has managed to maintain the top ATP ranking as rivals Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz continue to trail through poor results during their rival’s enforced absence.