Jannik Sinner says he was left lost and confused after being handed a three-month doping ban.

The three-time Grand Slam champion agreed a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency in February after authorities accepted the anabolic agent clostebol had entered his system via massages from his physiotherapist.

“At the start I was a bit confused because I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do,” Sinner said Monday – the day the ban expired – upon his arrival at the Italian Open.

“Then I went home and stayed with my family. I tried to understand better what was important to me.

“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.

“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 has not been on court since winning the Australian Open in January, returned to training on April 13 ahead of the lifting of his served suspension on May 4.

The 23-year-old returns to the court for the first time in three months at this week’s Italian Open – live on Sky Sports.

The Italian Open is the last big clay-court tournament before the French Open – the year’s second Grand Slam – starts on May 25.

“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,” Sinner said of the ban.

“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 missing out on three months’ action, Sinner was assured of retaining the top ranking for his home tournament after his closest challenger, Alexander Zverev, crashed to an early defeat in the Monte-Carlo Masters.

It will mark the first time Italy has had a No 1 player for its home tournament, with Sinner looking to become the first Italian man since Adriano Panatta in 1976 to win the title in Rome.

Sinner, who received a first-round bye, will face either No 99 Mariano Navone or 18-year-old Italian wildcard Federico Cin in round two, though he is managing expectations given his recent inactivity.

“It’s a very, very low expectation tournament in general for me,” Sinner said. “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.”

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