Cilic enjoys winning return to tennis in Paris Masters

Johannesburg: Croatia`s Marin Cilic has marked his return from a doping ban with a first round victory at the Paris Masters on Monday.

According to Sport24, after dropping a tense opening set, Cilic bounced back to set up a matchup against world number five Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina with a 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 victory over Dutchman Igor Sijsling. Cilic, 25, currently ranked 47th in the world, tested positive for the stimulant nikethamide at the Munich Open in May and was banned for nine months by an independent tribunal in September, the report said. However, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) reduced the ban to four months last Friday meaning the sanction expired one day later and allowed him to take his place in the tournament, the report added. Cilic said that he felt like a kid playing tennis for the first time, adding that it was an amazing feeling to be back on the court, to be competing and he enjoyed every moment.