Jannik Sinner says he was lost and confused after settling on a three-month doping ban with the World Anti-Doping Agency in February. The top-ranked tennis player suddenly didn’t know what do with himself away from the game he had dedicated almost his entire life to. “At the start I was a bit confused because I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do,” Sinner said on Monday — the day the ban expired — upon his arrival at the Italian Open. “Then I went home and stayed with my family. I tried to understand better what was really important to me. “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.” Besides his family in the German-speaking Alto Adige region of northern Italy, Sinner also spent more time with friends at home in Monaco, participated in other sports like cycling, and then only gradually came back to tennis. “We went about a month without touching (a racket) and then we restarted really softly,” Sinner said. “When we started pushing more, blisters developed on my hands. That was something I hadn’t experienced in a long time.” Didn’t want to accept ban The settlement was made after WADA appealed a decision last year by the International Tennis Integrity Agency to fully exonerate Sinner for what it deemed to be an accidental contamination by a banned anabolic steroid in March 2024. The settlement raised questions, since it conveniently allowed Sinner not to miss any Grand Slams and return at his home tournament. The Italian Open is the last big clay-court event before the French Open, which starts on May 25. “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,” Sinner said of the ban. “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.” Many fellow pros feel Sinner was treated too lightly. Serena Williams told Time magazine she “would have gotten 20 years” if she was involved in a similar case: “Let’s be honest. I would have gotten Grand Slams taken away from me.” “I just arrived 45 minutes ago,” Sinner said. “I haven’t seen so many (other players). It’s all fine at the moment, but I haven´t seen most of them.” Huge local interest in Sinner It will mark the first time that Italy has had a No. 1 player for its home tournament. Every move Sinner makes is attracting attention this week. Sinner was scheduled to hold an open practice session later on Campo Centrale that was expected to attract a sold-out crowd of 10,500 spectators. It was to be broadcast live on Italian TV. Before the practice session, Sinner also was to be honored alongside his Davis Cup teammates and the Billie Jean King Cup players after Italy swept both of tennis’ biggest team titles last year. Sinner hasn’t played a match since January when he won his second straight Australian Open title. After a first-round bye in Rome, he will be play his opening match on Saturday against No. 99 Mariano Navone or 18-year-old Italian wild card Federico Cinà. The last Italian man to win the Rome title was Adriano Panatta in 1976. “It’s a very, very low expectation tournament in general for me,” Sinner said. “It’s a very strange feeling again in the beginning to be around so many people and attention. But it’s nice to be back.”