"I didn't like it": Jannik Sinner shares reason behind thinking about taking break from tennis after Australian Open

Italy’s Jannik Sinner has revealed that he was close to taking a break right after the Australian Open because of the ongoing doping scandal. The 23-year-old has been in the news for the wrong reasons in the recent past after testing positive in two doping tests in March last year for the banned substance clostebol.

The reigning world number one managed to escape any ban in the early phase of the investigation as The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) declared him innocent following a detailed hearing where his counsel claimed that the substance was available in the player’s sample because he came in close contact with his physio Naldi who used to spray for the treatment of a cut on his finger.

However, things turned ugly when the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed against the ITIA’s decision in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and demanded a two-year ban for the three-time Grand Slam winner. The matter concluded in February when the two reached an agreement which would see the three-time Grand Slam winner staying out of action for three months. His ban is set to expire at the start of next month, and he will be available to participate in the upcoming Rome Masters.

Sinner has recently spoken to TG1, stating that he was close to taking time off from tennis immediately after the Australian Open. The three-time Grand Slam winner stated that he did not feel comfortable in the locker room where the players looked at him ‘differently’.

“Did I ever think about giving up? Yes, I did,” he said. “Before the Australian Open this year, I was in a not so happy moment. Arriving there in Australia I didn't feel comfortable in the locker room, where I went to eat. The players looked at me differently. I didn't like it. There, I thought that living tennis that way was really heavy. I thought about taking some time off after Australia. Then it went as it went, I didn't want it to go like this but in the other sense at that moment it did me good. Three months is long. But one reason I didn't play Rotterdam was precisely that, I needed time with friends and to give priority to the people I love.”