World No. 1 Jannik Sinner admitted he was left "very fragile" after his doping ban in his first interview since, having been handed a three-month suspension earlier this year. Sinner was slapped with the ban on February 15 which will end on May 4, a fortnight before the French Open.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) had appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after an independent panel cleared Sinner following an International Tennis Integrity Agency probe. Jannik had two positive doping tests in which low levels of clostebol, a banned substance, were found in his system last year.

The 23-year-old always claimed that he was contaminated without his knowledge, alleging that his now-former physio used the banned substance on his own hand before giving Sinner a massage. Clostebol is a steroid that can be used to help build muscle mass.

However, WADA was of the opinion that Sinner should bear the responsibility for the negligence of his own team. They did not dispute the reigning Australian Open and US Open champion's version of events.

Speaking to Sky Italy in a rare conversation, Sinner described the first few days after his ban was made public. "I was very fragile after what happened, because many things happened, including unexpected reactions on my part," he said.

"But in life, you learn; year after year, I get to know myself better. It was very difficult at times, but the people close to me gave me the strength to understand and move forward."

Sinner has since come to terms with the ban, even though he admitted he did not agree fully with the punishment, but felt it was preferrable to a more severe penalty. Another option would have been to continue appealing and potentially face a longer sentence.

"I felt very comfortable," the Italian explained. "The decision to reach an agreement was very quick, even though I didn't fully agree. In the end, I chose the lesser evil, even though it was unfair, but there could have been a greater injustice.

"After the decision, it took me a while to find myself again. Also because things happened outside of this issue that weren't easy for me. I still have to digest everything a bit, but I'm looking forward to returning to Rome. Even so, it won't be easy because there will be a lot of attention focused on me.

"I learned a lot of things, but I already knew that tennis isn't the most important thing. There are people out there who care a lot, family will always come first, friends are crucial. But above all, it's good to have people around you you can trust. I've learned that even more in recent months."

Sinner is likely to remain at the top of the ATP Tour rankings despite not featuring for three months, when he returns in time for Roland Garros next month, making his comeback at the Italian Open first.