Jannik Sinner vows not to ‘risk’ his health ahead of US Open after latest injury scare

Shahida Jacobs
Jannik Sinner attends a press conference
Jannik Sinner speaks at a press conference

Jannik Sinner has made it clear that he will not risk his long-term health ahead of big tournaments after his hip injury flared up again during the Cincinnati Open.

The world No 1 came through a tough semi-final encounter against Alexander Zverev as he battled for more than three hours before defeating the German 7-6 (11-9), 5-7, 7-6 (7-4).

With the win Sinner secured his fifth ATP Masters 1000 final and on Monday he will look to win his third title following his success at the 2023 Canadian Open and this year’s Miami Open.

However, there are some doubts about the Italian’s fitness ahead of the match against Frances Tiafoe as he was visibly troubled by his hip throughout his semi-final match.

It has been a long-standing problem as the injury first troubled him at this year’s Madrid Open at the end of April. He complained about his hip during his win over Karen Khachanov and then withdrew from his quarter-final match as it was a lot more serious than initially thought.

The 23-year-old was also forced to skip the Italian Open while there were major doubts about his participation in the French Open. He featured in the main draw and reached the semi-final.

The hip then started bothering him again at last week’s Canadian Open where he reached the quarter-final and against Zverev he was clearly in some discomfort.

Jannik Sinner News

Why Jannik Sinner’s win over Alexander Zverev is both good news and bad news for Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz

Although Sinner insists he is “not concerned” by the problem, he also hinted that he would not hesitate to skip matches and events in order to keep fit for the US Open, leaving some doubt about whether or not he will play against Tiafoe.

“I will not risk [my health] before the US Open or other bigger tournaments. For sure sometimes I feel it [the hip]. I have to understand what exactly it is at the moment because I feel like it’s a different small issue than it was before,” he said.

“I have to check after this tournament. I was ill for one weekish, then I went to Montreal and played two matches in one day. I haven’t had so much time to recover from those two matches before coming here.

“I’m not worried yet, so I’m happy to play. That’s the most important. I have six good days [before the US Open] trying to recover and also work on it. So I’m not concerned.”

READ NEXT: Jannik Sinner’s biggest opponent is revealed – and it’s not Carlos Alcaraz or Novak Djokovic