Boris Becker reveals why Jannik Sinner may not be a French Open favourite

Jannik Sinner should not be considered among the strong favourites to win the French Open, according to tennis legend Boris Becker.

Sinner arrived at Roland Garros with big doubts over his fitness, after he was forced to pull out of the Madrid Open and the Rome Open event due to a worrying hip problem.

There were real doubts over whether Sinner would play in Paris until he confirmed he would attempt to compete in the second major of the year.

Yet the Australian Open champion admitted he went into the French Open with low expectations, as he didn’t know whether he would have the stamina to get through a two-week event that would require him to win seven best-of-five-set matches to lift the trophy.

Sinner passed his first hurdle as he cruised into the second round with a 6-3 6-3 6-4 victory over American Christopher Eubanks, but three-time Wimbledon champion Becker is not convinced the Italian is a favourite to win the title this year.

“Overall, clay for the moment anyway, is not his best surface,” said Becker, a Eurosport expert.

“Hard courts, indoors and grass… yes he is a big threat on those surfaces. On the clay, he has not won a big tournament yet,

“You look last year at Roland Garros and Sinner had a second round loss against Daniel Altmaier in five sets and we don’t know how fit he is right now.

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“In best-of-five-set matches over two weeks, there are no shortcuts. You don’t win matches easily and quickly by serving 25 aces. So it will be tough for him.

“If he is fit, maybe he has a chance, but we have some questions around Sinner right now.”

Sinner spent some time at the medical facility used by Juventus Football Club as he attempted to treat the hip problem that threatened to derail his French Open ambitions.

He appeared to be content with how he felt on court after the win against Eubanks, as he thanked his team for the hard work they put in to get him ready for the tournament.

“The hip is good. I’m happy,” said Sinner after the match. “I’m glad my team and myself were working hard to be on court as soon as possible.

“Without the team it isn’t possible. The general shape isn’t 100% yet. We try to build every day. This is a special tournament. Thanks to everyone who supported me. It was amazing. A roof closed for the first time on Suzanne. So I’m very happy.”

“I’m obviously happy about what I achieved in the last few months, but our goal is to improve every day. That’s more important for me. I know I have to improve some things.

“I’m happy I have my team. They push me every day. Let’s see what I can achieve in the future. Also being happy on the court is maybe the most important. I truly enjoy to play tennis.”

Becker warned him problems are dangerous for a tennis player, with the side-to-side movement so crucial to success at the highest level.

“He is a smart young man and he is surrounded by smart people, so I’m sure he wouldn’t play at Roland Garros if he wasn’t fit enough,” added Becker.

“It would be good to know exactly what the injury is and then we could have a better idea what he is dealing with, but a player will never say what the injury is as it can give their opponent an advantage.

“Overall, I feel Sinner is a great player and he has had a great year, but maybe he is not in his best moment on clay and we have to wait and see how he performs.”