Jannik Sinner will soak up every drop of his Australian Open victory before his attention turns to his looming hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in April.
After claiming his second successive Australian Open title with a straight-sets win over second seed Alexander Zverev on Sunday night, Sinner admitted he has shut out the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appeal of his doping case because he has a "clear mind" of what transpired.
Sinner failed two doping tests for the anabolic steroid clostebol last March.
Men's singles champion Jannik Sinner attends a press conference. Darrian Traynor via Getty Images
The 23-year-old tested positive for the prohibited substance via urine samples both in competition during the Paribas Open in Indian Wells and again out of competition a week later.
He later explained that clostebol entered his system after receiving a massage from his former physiotherapist, who had recently applied a spray containing the steroid to treat a cut on his finger.
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Sinner was cleared of any wrongdoing by an independent panel in August and freed to contest the US Open, which he went on to win.
WADA later appealed the ruling that exonerated him and is pushing for a ban of one to two years.
Sinner's case will be heard by CAS in a closed-door hearing in April — just over a month before Roland-Garros is scheduled to begin.
Despite uncertainty hanging over his head, the Italian said that a potential ban did not motivate him to win his second championship at Melbourne Park.
"I'm not thinking at the moment about this. I just came off an amazing run again here. I want to enjoy this moment, to be honest," he told media.
"Then it's the hearing. We know now the dates, and that's it. I mean, I want to enjoy this one now."
The International Tennis Integrity Agency found that there was "no fault or negligence" by Sinner and that he had provided a "credible" explanation for the two violations.
Through its appeal, WADA is not aiming to disprove Sinner's explanation but believes the independent panel's finding is "not correct under the applicable rules".
"I keep playing like this because I have a clear mind on what happened," Sinner said.
"If I knew I was guilty, I would not play like this, and that's it.
"I still believe every time [the ruling] came out in a positive way [because I was acquitted], and I still believe it's going to be that case."
With maiden titles at Roland-Garros and Wimbledon still on his radar, Sinner is choosing to focus on what is in front of him more pressingly.
"At the moment I'm not thinking about this," he said.
"Of course, you have your moments of certain days where you feel like I wish I would not have this problem.
"In the other way, I'm always looking forward to going on court.
"Now I also need my time off, which is also very important for my body and my mind. Then when I go again back on court, I try to improve."
Sinner needs the two elusive championships on clay and grass to complete a non-calendar-year grand slam.
Jannik Sinner celebrates winning the championship point against Alexander Zverev in the men's singles final at the Australian Open. Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
During his post-match press conference, Zverev was asked about Sinner facing a potentially lengthy ban while at the top of his game.
The German was surprised.
"Wow, I didn't expect that question," he said.
"I don't know. I don't know anything about the situation that he's in. I know he's been cleared once. I know someone over at the Tennis Integrity Agency is taking a look at it now.
"He's a great guy. I have absolutely nothing against him. I don't know what will happen but let's see in the next few months."
