Michael Phelps will decide whether to compete in the 2012 London Olympics in the next two months.
The 23-year-old, who won a record eight gold medals in Beijing last summer, is taking time to assess his future after a photograph of him with a marijuana pipe was published in a British tabloid earlier this month.
But he told the Baltimore Sun he is feeling ‘happier’ than he was when he said last week he may not compete at another Olympic Games.
‘It will take a few months,’ Phelps said of his decision. ‘I'll give it 30 or 60 days. I think it will be better.
‘I'm already happier now than I was, just having some part of my life back to normal, being able to swim again, having fun, joking around.’
Phelps admitted he had suffered both personally and performance-wise as a result of the media storm that followed the publication of the picture.
He has been suspended for three months by USA Swimming and has lost one of his sponsorship deals.
While the worst of it appears to have passed, Phelps admitted he will need time to recover.
‘I'm not feeling too good physically,’ Phelps said. ‘But I'm actually able to sleep now. I had a real hard time sleeping over the last two weeks or so.
‘Just swimming and thinking about everything going on. Everything is back to what I call normal, I guess.’
