Jannik Sinner says he considered quitting tennis before Australian Open, amid doping furore
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When asked in a Rai TV interview on Tuesday if there was ever a moment when he wanted to give it all up, the 23-year-old hesitated briefly before responding: 'Yes. I remember that I wasn't in a very happy place before the Australian Open this year.'
At the start of January in Melbourne – a grand slam that he won – it was still unclear whether Sinner would face a lengthy suspension before his doping case from 2024, when he blamed a masseur for giving him a banned cream.
In the end, a deal was made whereby he would receive a short three-month ban and return for the Italian Open starting next week.
He said he was anxious around the turn of the year about what 2025 might bring.
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'I arrived in Australia and didn't feel comfortable, whether in the locker room or while eating. The players were looking at me differently,' he added. 'That wasn't nice.
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