Prior to the French Open, Jannik Sinner provided an encouraging update on his injury; nevertheless, the good news was tempered with a small caution after his prolonged time of inactivity.
Due to a hip injury he suffered earlier in the competition, World No. 2 Sinner hasn’t participated in a competitive match since his match against Karen Khachanov in the Madrid Open last-16 at the end of April.
The current Australian Open winner ultimately pulled out of his quarterfinal encounter and had to miss the Italian Open, casting serious question on his ability to compete at Roland Garros.
After undergoing a lengthy course of therapy at the medical training facilities of Serie A club Juventus, the 22-year-old has finally announced that he will play in Paris next week.
“I chose to participate because Roland Garros is a highly significant competition,” he remarked. “If my body allows it, I would like to participate in this Slam.”
After being out of the game for so long, Sinner says he is not expecting “miracles” when he takes against Chris Eubanks on Monday in the opening round.
“It feels good to the hip.” My hip is no longer an issue for me. Our most recent testing yielded extremely encouraging results. I’m here for that reason,” the Italian remarked.
“The overall physical condition is definitely not where I would like it to be, but miracles cannot be worked in the ten days leading up to the first-round match. Still, I’m glad to be here. To be honest, I’ve had a difficult time not competing in Rome, which is a really unique event.
“Being mentally prepared and accepting of potential outcomes on the court will be crucial, and we’ll see what I can do after that.”
“In my opinion, even in this state of fitness where I am right now, I can play good tennis, and hopefully I can stay here longer than last year,” he continued. Last year, I advanced to the second round. This year, let’s see what I can do.
Many think that the men’s draw is quite open this year because 14-time winner Rafael Nadal, world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz, Sinner, and world No. 1 Novak Djokovic are all dealing with injuries.
Sinner, though, is just thinking about his own game.
“You see, I seem like myself a lot right now. He remarked, “I’m not glancing around as much. “I arrive in the club, go about my business, and leave again.
“I am aware that it could be a little more open, but I have to work on Monday and I have an opponent.” In a little over two weeks, all of these inquiries will receive responses. The future is unknown to anybody.