Jannik Sinner returned to the tennis court on Saturday at the Italian Open for the first time since the Australian Open in January. Sinner served a three-month ban from the sport in order to settle an anti-doping violation stemming from the star's two positive doping tests almost a year ago. Sinner tested positive for banned anabolic steroid Clostebol twice in March 2024.

He finished victorious over Mariano Navone 6-3, 6-4 and was all smiles as he celebrated the win.

"It's an amazing feeling, no? I've waited quite a long time for this moment, and I'm very happy to be back," Sinner said after the match. "I was saying how it's very difficult to have the right feedback when you don't have any matches, but that's exactly what I need now. The best practice is the match itself. So I'm very happy about that."

His home Italian crowd has loved cheering Sinner on during his return this week. His ban was officially lifted on Monday and he then received a huge applause when arriving to a practice court that day. Fans in Rome stayed after the match on Saturday to give Sinner an even louder celebration. It's definitely been a warm welcome back for Sinner.

Despite the three-month hiatus, Saturday's win marked Sinner's 22nd consecutive match he's won dating back to October of last year. He'll face Jesper De Jong on Monday in the Round of 32 at the Italian Open.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jannik Sinner Details 'Amazing Feeling' After Winning First Match Since Ban.

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