Jannik Sinner’s winning streak continued at the Italian Open, but he showed more than a few signs of weakness during his run to the Masters title.
Sinner looked incredibly worse for wear against Daniil Medvedev in the semi-final and he also showed clear signs of fatigue in a straight sets victory against Andrey Rublev.
According to the director of the Italian Open, Sinner was very close to withdrawing from his home event due to his hectic clay court schedule so far.
Speaking to Eurosport Italia, Rome’s tournament director, Angelo Binaghi, said he was convinced Sinner would pull out of the Italian Open due to his physical conditioning.
Sinner played the Monte Carlo Masters and the Madrid Open back-to-back, which was a surprise to many, but his current form at Masters events clearly convinced him to continue the run.
Binaghi said he was warned by Matteo Berrettini that Sinner was gearing up to withdraw from his home tournament after winning the two Masters events in Monte Carlo and Madrid.
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“Berrettini told me: ‘Yes, yes, look, it’s impossible for him to come, he can’t do it anymore.’ So I was resigned,” said the Italian following Sinner’s victory.
Of course, Sinner did play, and win, the Italian Open, continiuing his incredible record at Masters events, dating back to the Paris Masters last season.
Despite his victory on home soil, Binaghi is still worried about Sinner’s status after his lengthy slog on the European clay court swing.
“We were seriously worried about his physical condition. We saw problems both at the end of the match with Rublev, and especially in the match with Medvedev,” he said.
Binaghi believes Sinner’s remarkable run in Rome, despite his physical issues, showcases what a brilliant champion the World No. 1 has become.
“I think that in this last match Jannik showed energy that perhaps he didn’t even know he had , but this is what great champions do, who are not normal people and who have a suffering threshold, a limit that is different from what we normal people have.”
Sinner will now have a week off before Roland Garros kicks off, where he is expected to play on either the first Monday or Tuesday of the event.
Whether his physical issues can be solved in that time is anyone’s guess, but he has absolutely put a target on his back following his worrying physical capitulation in the second set against Medvedev in Rome.
There is no doubt that several top players on the ATP Tour will be concocting a game plan in how to keep Sinner out on court for as long as possible.
Nevertheless, the World No. 1 still remains the overwhelming favourite to win the Paris event and become the third youngest player to achieve the Career Grand Slam.
The post Worrying update emerges on Jannik Sinner’s physical condition ahead of Roland Garros appeared first on Tennis365.
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