Jannik Sinner reveals huge injury scare as he casts doubts over Madrid Open hopes
Jannik Sinner’s hopes of a successful clay court season could be under threat, as he revealed he is nursing an injury that could force him to reshape his plans ahead of the French Open.
World No 2 Sinner advanced into the last 16 with a convincing 6-2 7-5 victory over Pavel Kotov, with the Italian coming from behind in the second set to seal his place in the next round against Russia’s Karen Khachanov.
Yet that only tells part of the story for the form player of 2024, as the Australian Open champion confirmed he has a major injury concern that he is being forced to nurse as he closes in on the world No 1 ranking for the first time in his career.
“I’ve struggled now a little bit in the last period with my right hip.. we’re trying to find a solution,” said Sinner.
“I don’t think it’s anything serious. But I can feel it. Sometimes I feel it more like today. Some days are a little better. Let’s see. I have a good team behind me.
“We’ll try to get my body going for tomorrow. We’ll decide tomorrow what’s best for me and best for the body. I’m looking forward to it, it’s gonna be a tough match.”
Sinner’s hope that his injury problem is not a major concern is clearly tempered by his fear that it may impact his hopes of competing at his best against Khachanov.
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His comments could be viewed as a hint that he will consider withdrawing from his last-16 match if he doesn’t feel ready to compete on Tuesday, with the bigger picture clearly more significant for Sinner than what he could achieve this week in Madrid.
Sinner could have a chance to take over from Novak Djokovic at the top of the ATP Rankings in front of his home fans in Italy in the Rome Masters later this month.
He will also be eyeing up an assault on his first French Open title at Roland Garros next month, with the injury problem he is nursing a big threat to those ambitions if he allows it to become a big problem.
For now, it seems Sinner is confident of managing the issue and he will come up against an opponent who is also nursing an injury concern if he plays his last-16 contest against Khachanov on Tuesday.
“I had some pain last week so I didn’t play in Barcelona, but with every match I win I find confidence and rhythm,” said the Russian, who beat Italy’s Flavio Cobolli on Tuesday.
“Jannik is in the best form at the moment and he’s only lost a couple of matches since late last year. [But] there’s nothing to be scared of. I just need to prepare and find a good game plan and the weapons I need to beat him.”
This will be a fifth career meeting between Sinner and Khachanov, with the Italian leading 3-1 in their head-to-head battles.
Sinner has won their last three matches, including a convincing three-set win that came at the last-16 stage of his run to the Australian Open title in January.
