By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Tuesday, May 14, 2024
Jannik Sinner will likely pull out of Roland Garros, Italian media reports, on the advice of doctors who say his hip is not fully healed.
Photo credit: Mateo Villalba/Getty
Jannik Sinner's Roland Garros quest may be over before it began.
World No. 2 Sinner will likely pull out of Roland Garros, Italian media reports, on the advice of doctors who say his hip is not fully healed.
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Italian publication La Gazzetta dello Sports reports Sinner will probably not play Roland Garros, which starts on May 26th.
Doctors at a medical center in Turin have reportedly advised the Italian No. 1 he needs more recovery time. He has been advised to show "maximum caution" with his recovery from his hip injury as he could risk aggravating it.
Reigning Australian Open champion Sinner has a lot on the line.
If he plays Paris and out-performs reigning Roland Garros champion Novak Djokovic, Sinner can surpass the Serbian superstar for the world No. 1 ranking. Sinner, who is defending just 45 ranking points in Paris, could rise to world No. 1 even if he doesn't play Roland Garros depending upon Djokovic's results.
However, in withdrawing from Rome, Sinner made it clear he would not play Roland Garros if he's not fully fit.
Miami Open champion Sinner said he initially felt the hip issue during the Monte-Carlo semifinals against Stefanos Tsitsipas. Playing Madrid, Sinner felt the pain in his hip flare up again and conceded a walkover to Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarterfinals.
Sinner has posted a 28-2 record this season with his lone losses coming to Carlos Alcaraz in the Indian Wells semifinals and to Tsitsipas in the Monte-Carlo semifinals.
Should Sinner indeed skip Roland Garros, it will solidify the event's status as the most wide-open French Open field in years as 14-time champion Rafael and defending champion Djokovic are both reeling and Wimbledon winner Alcaraz has been nursing a forearm injury that force him out of Rome.