Marin Cilic says that after serving a four-month doping ban, he was thrilled to be back on court for his first-round match at the Paris Masters.
"I felt like a kid playing for the first time," Cilic told reporters after he beat Igor Sijsling. "The feeling was amazing just to be back on the court, to be competing and I enjoyed every moment. My thoughts were just on how much I am enjoying it and how I am happy to be back on the court."
The Court of Arbitration of Sport decided to reduce Cilic’s original ban of nine months to four months after he appealed his suspension following a positive test for the banned stimulant nikethamide. The Croatian said that he had tested positive for the metabolite of nikethamide.
"It shows that nikethamide was in the system some time before and it's completely inactive and doesn't have any effect on the body," he said. “I'm definitely waiting for the CAS' decision in writing and waiting what the ITF will say with all these things.”