Jannik Sinner considered walking away from tennis during doping controversy

ROME – World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who is about to return to action after a three-month doping ban, thought about walking away from tennis even while retaining his Australian Open title, but is coming back with a new mentality.

The Italian

accepted a three-month ban

in February after a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency, which had appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against an independent tribunal’s decision

to clear him of wrongdoing.

He had tested positive for anabolic agent clostebol which he said entered his system from a member of his support team through massages and sports therapy.

Sinner won the Australian Open in January, with the case hanging over him, and was asked during an interview with Italian broadcaster RAI on April 29 whether he had ever considered giving up tennis.

“Yes, I remember before the Australian Open this year, I was not in a very happy moment because there was still that case of doping,” he said.

“I didn’t feel really comfortable... It was a bit like some players looked at me differently and I didn’t like it at all. And there I said it’s heavy to live tennis in this way.

“I didn’t feel comfortable and then I said, maybe after Australia, I take a little break it will do me good.”

He was then forced into a break by the ban, but is now back in training for the upcoming Italian Open in May.

“Slowly, I’m getting back into the rhythm of real training with a goal in front of me,” Sinner added.

“I will certainly be very happy to return to the court. Especially in Rome, it is a special tournament for me, but I certainly enter with a slightly different mentality. I miss the competition. I am certainly very happy that this phase is now over and we are ready to start again.”

Sinner’s settlement brought criticism from both current and former players, with Serena Williams saying

she would have been banned for 20 years

and had her Grand Slam titles taken away had she tested positive in a similar fashion.

“I mean, I don’t even want to answer. Everyone is free to say what they want, everyone can judge, but that’s okay,” Sinner responded.

“It’s important to me that I know how that happened, but above all also of what I went through and it was very difficult. It wasn’t easy, but we are in a world where everyone can say what they want, so it’s okay.” REUTERS