Jannik Sinner has warned he has “low expectations” for his return to tennis at the Rome Masters this week. But the world No.1 said he is aiming to compete to win his third consecutive Grand Slam title at the French Open starting at the end of the month. He also revealed the harsh conditions that blocked him from watching his favourite football team in person.

The Italian’s three-month suspension for testing positive for a banned substance in March last year ended on Sunday. And he was applauded at the start of his packed press conference in the Foro Italico in Rome today before his first event back on the ATP Tour.

But Sinner, who played his last match in the final of the Australian Open on January 26, said: "I have to say I have low expectations for this tournament. I've been sitting out for so long and I don't have any feedback on how I'm going to play.

"The goal will be Paris, I'm not here to beat anyone but to try to get through the first round and then we'll see what can happen. It's difficult for me to start a new tournament and get back to the rhythm. But we're very calm, we're physically and mentally well, we're rested, which will pay off at the end of the season too."

Sinner agreed to a three-month ban in a deal with the World Anti-Doping Agency in February.

"The hardest moment of the suspension was at the beginning,” he admitted.

“I couldn't attend any sporting event in real life. I don’t know how many people know this but I couldn't go to the stadium to watch a football match or follow a cycling race of my friends. Or in motorsport. That for me was the toughest part. But all things considered, I tried to make the best of it. I was very glad also to spend time with my family."