Jannik Sinner believes his three-month doping ban to be “unfair” as the world number one awaits his return to tennis in time to contest the French Open and put nearly a year of controversy behind him.
In February, Italian star Sinner agreed with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to accept the ban after twice testing positive for traces of clostebol in March last year.
WADA accepted that Sinner did not gain any competitive advantage from the banned substance, and that he bore no fault for an accidental contamination.
His ban ends on May 4, in time for him to make his comeback on home clay at the Rome Open which starts three days later and less than three weeks before Roland Garros.
Speaking to Sky Sport in an interview broadcast on Saturday, Sinner said: “We accepted (the ban) quickly, even though I wasn’t really in agreement.
“We went back and forth with my lawyers and entourage. We had to choose the least worst option and I think that’s what we did.
“What I’ve been through is a bit unfair but if we look at the situation it could have gone a lot worse. After we made the decision it took me a bit of time to refind my feet.
“I cannot wait to start playing again in Rome. It’s a special tournament for me but it will be difficult making a comeback with so much attention on me,” the 23-year-old added.
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Sinner was facing a potential ban of two years when WADA appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against an initial exoneration by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), announced in August.
He has always said that clostebol entered his system when his physiotherapist used a spray containing it to treat a cut before providing a massage and sports therapy.
WADA said explicitly when the ban was announced that Sinner “did not intend to cheat” and that his suspension from tennis was due to him being responsible for the actions of his entourage.
The controversy followed Sinner everywhere just as he was rising to become the top player in men’s tennis and a three-time Grand Slam winner.
And the agreement with WADA sparked fury among a section of the men’s tennis tour, with outspoken Australian Nick Kyrgios and Stan Wawrinka both blasting the ban.
“I don’t know what might happen,” said Sinner when asked how he thought his fellow players will react to him at the Foro Italico courts in the Italian capital.
“I know what happened and I know that I’m innocent. The people I have around me, not just my team but my family and friends, the people I’m closest to, have no doubts about what the truth is.”
Despite being off the courts since winning the Australian Open earlier this year, he is still top of the ATP Tour’s world rankings as his key rivals Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev have failed to take advantage of his absence.