• Jannik Sinner returns to tennis after a three-month doping ban.
• He has low expectations for the upcoming Italian Open.
• Sinner aims to build momentum for the French Open.
• His doping suspension ended on May 4, clearing him for competition.
• He has maintained his world number one ranking despite the ban.

World number one Jannik Sinner expressed that he would enter the Italian Open with low expectations, marking his comeback following a three-month doping ban. The settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency was reached in February, where Sinner's suspension stemmed from the presence of the anabolic agent clostebol in his system. This compound was reportedly introduced during massages from his physiotherapist, forcing him to step away from competition, according to Channel News Asia, Reuters, and Dawn.

Having not played since his victory at the Australian Open in January, Sinner is eager to leave the doping incident behind and focus on his performance heading into the French Open, scheduled from May 25 to June 8. He was finally cleared to return to training on April 13, with his suspension concluding just before the start of the Italian Open, according to Reuters and Dawn.

When discussing his expectations, Sinner stated, “It’s a very, very low expectation tournament in general for me,” emphasizing the lack of clarity regarding his current skill level. He anticipates that this feedback will develop gradually as he plays matches, which he reiterated in interviews leading up to the tournament, according to Channel News Asia and Reuters.

Despite his absence from the court, the 23-year-old has maintained his top ranking, largely due to the early exit of his closest competitor, Alexander Zverev, at the Monte-Carlo Masters. Sinner remarked, “For me personally good news that the Grand Slams were not included … This kind of agreement, I didn’t want to do it in the beginning,” reflecting on the difficult decision regarding his ban, as noted by Channel News Asia, Reuters, and Dawn.

Sinner described the past year as challenging and reiterated the importance of his recent break. “I was in a tough situation and in the beginning of the Australian Open I struggled a lot,” he said, acknowledging that his body has to readjust to competitive play. He also mentioned, “the blisters in hands they come again because you're not used to it anymore,” capturing the physical toll of his absence from the game, according to Channel News Asia, Reuters, and Dawn.