Former world No 1 hits out at ‘psychotic’ tennis schedule in Jannik Sinner injury verdict

Ewan West
Jannik Sinner reacts during his loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas at the 2024 Monte Carlo Masters
Jannik Sinner reacts during his loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas in Monte Carlo

Andy Roddick has suggested the gruelling tennis calendar contributed to the injury which has forced Jannik Sinner to miss the Italian Open. 

The former world No 1 highlighted the fact Sinner was doing gym training during the Madrid Open “because there’s no off time” and branded the schedule in tennis as “psychotic.”

The competitive tennis season begins in January, with early matches at some events even played in late December, and it does not conclude until mid to late November.

Sinner pulled out ahead of his Madrid Open quarter-final with Felix Auger-Aliassime last week due to a hip injury that had affected him at the Masters 1000 tournament.

The Australian Open champion has also been forced to withdraw from his home event, the Italian Open, where the men’s main draw will get underway on May 8.

READ MORE: Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz injury theory shared after Madrid Open, Rome setbacks

The 22-year-old Italian has since revealed his injury may be more serious than initially anticipated and admitted his French Open participation is uncertain.

“We all thought it wasn’t a serious problem. I don’t want to say exactly what it is. If it wasn’t 100% healed, I would be forced to stop playing for a long time,” Sinner told the Italian media at a press conference on Monday.

“Roland Garros? We still have to decide a few things for Paris. The preparation will not be optimal. My team and I will do our best to get there with as high a percentage as possible to compete.”

On an episode of his Served with Andy Roddick podcast, Roddick questioned why the tennis season lasts so long as he drew comparison with other major sports.

“Sinner was training in the gym in Madrid, lifting because he had to do his lifting cycles during these events because there’s no off time,” said the American.

“Am I an idiot for thinking that these weeks would be better spent intentionally being somewhere where you’re not switching time zones, surfaces, et cetera?

“NFL [players get] seven to eight months off; NBA: four months off; Euro soccer: three to four months off; baseball: three to four months off. How psychotic are we in tennis that we play 11, 11-and-a-half months a year?”

Sinner indicated his awareness of the role the schedule might have played in his injury by divulging he may consider skipping the Monte Carlo Masters in future.

“Some injuries can be prevented, others cannot. So far we have done a great job,” said the world No 2 during the same press conference in Rome.

“Last year I had an injury-free season. Like this year so far. Next year, we will have to figure out whether to play Monte Carlo or not. You can’t be perfect at my age.

“In Madrid, there were days when I felt the pain a bit more, others when I didn’t feel it. I knew something was wrong. The day after the match with Khachanov, we saw from the MRI that there was something that was 100% wrong.

“It doesn’t mean that if someone gets hurt, a mistake has necessarily been made. I believe we did everything right. If I had to go back I wouldn’t know what I should have done differently.”

READ MORE: French Open 2024 likely men’s singles seeds: Djokovic and Sinner projected No 1 and 2