"I'm not in a relationship!": Jannik Sinner shoots down Lara Leito romance rumours immediately on return to Rome Open

Jannik Sinner was unequivocally clear about shooting down relationship rumours surrounding him and Russian model Lara Leito.

Leito was seen with Sinner at the Monte-Carlo Tennis Club where he practiced with Chi, a publication in Italy taking a photo of the World No.1 with the former partner of Oscar-winning actor Adrien Brody.

But Sinner who never formally confirmed his relationship had ended with fellow pro, Anna Kalinskaya said at the start of his press conference to rule out questioning that he was not in a relationship with anyone.

“There’s a lot of attention,” said Sinner during his pre tournament press conference.

“Also, off the court, I was surprised to see some pictures, which, nothing serious. I’m not in a relationship!

Now the attention turns to returning at the Rome Open and Sinner said that he still needs to adjust to the surface again.

“The body still has to adjust. The blisters on the hands, they’ll come again when you’re not used to it anymore. But all good. I’m just very happy and very curious to see where I’m at

He also added that he didn't want to accept the retrospective ban as he thought he did nothing wrong.

“This kind of agreement, I didn’t want to do it in the beginning,” Sinner admitted further. “It was not easy for me to accept it because I know what really happened, but sometimes we have to choose the best in a very bad moment.”

But he also couldn't attend any sporting events at all so even if he wanted to support his friends, he couldn't.

“I don’t know how many knows this, but for example, to watch a simple match in a football stadium, I couldn’t go watch it,” said Sinner. “I wanted to support my friends in cycling or motorsport; I couldn’t go there. That, for me, was the toughest part.

“But all things considered, I tried to make the best out of it, being ready mentally for the point when I started to play tennis again. It’s all fine. I’m very glad to have spent that time with my family.”

He was also open on the emotional toll that it took on him over the past few months. “For me, look, last year was very difficult. I had a lot of personal pressure, holding everything. I couldn’t talk with many people about what happened. I was in a tough situation at the beginning of the Australian Open. I struggled a lot, so it was nice to take a small break. Three months…but it is what it is. A small break was good. I could feel that I’m not playing for quite a long time.

“What’s missing for me is the complete feedback of where my level is. That’s going to come slowly with time of playing. After the first-round match, I’m going to have a good picture of myself and where I’m at. “