Jannik Sinner received ‘surprising messages’ from fellow players during doping ban

Jannik Sinner revealed he received some “surprising messages” from fellow players during his three-month doping ban, with the World No 1 also admitting he was surprised by the players who did not reach out.

Sinner returns to action at the Italian Open this week after serving his suspension for twice testing positive for the banned substance clostebol last March. The 23-year-old was cleared of fault or negligence, but reached a resolution settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency, who had pushed for a ban of between one and two years.

The timing of Sinner’s ban, which allowed the Italian to return in time for the French Open, has come in for criticism, with Novak Djokovic suggesting some players in the locker room were “not happy” with how the process has been handled.

Other players, such as British No 1 Jack Draper, have defended Sinner, though the three-time grand slam champion would not say who contacted him.

“At the start of the suspension I received some surprising messages from some players,” Sinner said ahead of his return at the Italian Open.

“Whereas there were others who I would have expected to hear from that didn't send anything. But I'm not going to name names."

As World No 1, Sinner will get a bye to the next round and will play either Mariono Navone or fellow Italian Federico Cina in his opening match of the tournament.

He has admitted his expectations for the tournament are “very, very low” after three months away from competition.

“The body still has to adjust, the blisters in hands,” Sinner explained. “I'm just very happy, very curious to see where I am at.”