New Delhi:

World No. 1 Jannik Sinner received a red-carpet welcome on his return to the tennis court after serving a doping ban. His three-month suspension ended on Monday and during his first practice session at the Italian Open, he was greeted with much fanfare by around 5000 runs.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency had exonerated Sinner of doping charges for an apparent an accidental contamination by a banned anabolic steroid in March 2024.

But WADA challenged that decision, prompting a settlement from Sinner last year, which raised questions with fellow tennis players wondering i he was let off lightly without having to miss any Grand Slam action.

“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,” the right-handed player said.

“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.”

Sinner was banned for three months in February after arriving at a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency.

“At the start I was a bit confused because I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do. Then I went home and stayed with my family. I tried to understand better what was really important to me,” 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. 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.”

“We went about a month without touching (a racket) and then we restarted really softly. When we started pushing more, blisters developed on my hands. That was something I hadn’t experienced in a long time,” he disclosed, while detailing how he spent his time off the court.

Since it is the first time that the Italian Open has a top-ranked home-based player, the excitement is obvious as his training session was beamed live on local TV and even prompted headlines “Habemus Sinner” – in line with the words “Habemus Papam! after election of a pope.

“I don’t know. Honestly, I think I’m a simple 23-year-old kid. I’m good at playing tennis but I’m not changing the world,” he said, as quoted by the Associated Press.

“I always remember that I come from a small town of 2,000 people. Being here in Rome and playing in front of so many people is a big deal.”

The Italian hasn’t played since winning his second consecutive Australian Open title in January and is set to face No. 99 Mariano Navone or 18-year-old Italian wild card Federico Cina on Saturday after receiving a bye in the opening round of the tournament that begins on May 25.

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