Jannik Sinner has revealed he considered quitting tennis amid the fallout from his doping case.
The world No 1 is preparing to return to the sport after agreeing to a three-month ban with the World Anti-Doping Agency over the positive tests he returned last March for a banned steroid.
Sinner was initially cleared of blame after it was accepted the substance entered his body via a product used by his then physio during a massage, but WADA appealed the decision.
In February, less than a month after winning his third Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, it was announced the Italian had accepted the short suspension, which will run out on May 5.
The case has provoked strong reactions from inside and outside the sport, with many arguing Sinner has received preferential treatment, although he has always maintained he did not do anything wrong.
Speaking to Italian TV station RAI, Sinner said: “When I arrived in Australia in January I was uncomfortable, also because it seemed to me that the other players looked at me differently. For a moment, I even thought about giving up everything.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Sinner previously said his three-month doping ban was unfair because he is ‘innocent’
He credited his team and the people close to him for changing his mindset, adding: “In the end I built my own bubble, where no one else entered, and this certainly gave me the desire to continue, the desire to prepare well for the Slams.
“I am very happy that this phase is over and I am ready to start again, even if a period of stop, maybe not so long, was necessary for me.”
Sinner secured the third Grand Slam title of his career at the Australian Open in January
Sinner is set to make his comeback at his home event, the Italian Open in Rome, which begins next Wednesday.
He is on a 21-match winning streak dating back to a final loss against Carlos Alcaraz in Beijing at the beginning of October and still has a lead of close to 2,000 points at the top of the rankings.
Watch the ATP and WTA Tours, as well as the US Open in New York, live on Sky Sports in 2025 or stream with NOW and the Sky Sports app, giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost. Find out more here.
