"There is still a bit of time to digest all this": Jannik Sinner admits Rome Open return will not 'easy'

Italy’s Jannik Sinner has admitted that returning to the Rome Open won’t be easy. The 23-year-old, who is regarded as one of the best players currently playing in men’s tennis in the singles category along with the likes of Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, is currently serving a three-month ban after agreeing a deal with the World Anti-Doping agency (WADA) for failing two dope tests in March last year.

Sinner’s ban will end just days before the start of the ATP 1000 Rome Masters, which will be his first event ever since lifting the Australian Open earlier this year after beating the world number two Alexander Zverev in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 7-6, 6-3.

The reigning world number one has recently spoken to Sky Sports Italia, as quoted by Tennis 365, which was his first interview ever since accepting WADA’s deal of a three-month ban, where he talked about how difficult it would be to return to the court. Sinner also highlighted how difficult it has been for him to accept the three-month ban and admitted that he very fragile the moment he accepted the ban.

“I’m very well, I rested and I’m happy,” said Sinner. “I would have done many different things, obviously, if I could have chosen, I would have played tennis, but I’m fine, and I’m not even thinking about it too much at the moment. After we took this decision, it took me a while to find myself again. But I am still here. There is still a bit of time to digest all this, but I can’t wait to be back in Rome. It’s a special tournament for me, even though it will also very tough. I’ll be back in a moment in which there will be already a lot of attention on me, and in Rome it’s not easy. I was very fragile after what happened. I would tell a lie if I said I was person without feelings or emotions. In life you learn, every year I learn more about myself, also about my value. It was not easy, very hard at times, but the people around me gave me the strength to understand what had happened.”