Jannik Sinner is entering the upcoming Italian Open with "low expectations" but is looking forward to his return following a three-month suspension. 

Sinner, who triumphed at the Australian Open earlier this year to cement his status as world number one, tested positive for clostebol, which is a banned substance, last year.

The Italian agreed a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in February and began an immediate three-month suspension, which saw him miss tournaments such as the Indian Wells Open, Miami Open, Monte-Carlo Masters and the Madrid Open.

But having held onto the top spot in the ATP rankings, with neither Alexander Zverev nor Carlos Alcaraz able to string together a consistent run of results in the 23-year-old's absence, Sinner is delighted to be back.

However, he aimed to temper expectations ahead of his first tournament back, which will be in front of a home crowd in Rome.

"I am happy in the position I am, but I would be happy even if I'm three or four in the world," Sinner said.

"I'm just happy to be back here – I'm happy to play again in front of the fans, and I have a goal in front of my eyes.

"It's a very low expectation tournament in general for me. What's missing is the complete feedback of where my level is.

Australian Open was incredible and it still feels unreal Full AO vlog is now live on my YouTube channel!  https://t.co/vevUK1sPIp pic.twitter.com/HYfvElGlbE

— Jannik Sinner (@janniksin) January 31, 2025

"That's going to come slowly with time, after the first round match, I'm going to have a good picture of where I'm at.

"It's a strange feeling in the beginning to be around so many people and so much attention. But it's nice to be back. Me and my team are very happy."

Sinner also detailed how difficult he found his ban, having been unable to attend any professional sport as a spectator, never mind a competitor.

"The toughest part was that in the beginning I couldn't watch any other sport really, in real life," Sinner explained.

"I don't know how many know this but watching a simple football match in a stadium, I couldn't go there to watch it.

"I wanted to support my friends in cycling or motorsport – I couldn't go there."