Jannik Sinner’s withdrawal from Cincinnati is official: “I’m not ready”
No Cincinnati Open for Jannik Sinner. The organizers of the American tournament themselves confirmed his withdrawal, putting an end to the speculation of the past few days. This decision underscores the need for the world No. 1 to manage his right knee injury with the utmost caution. “After consulting with my doctors and my team, I must announce that I am forced to withdraw from the Cincinnati Masters 1000 tournament. My right knee is bothering me, and despite our best efforts with my medical team, I have to admit that I’m not yet ready to compete. I’m very disappointed that I won’t be able to play in Cincinnati, and I wish Bob Moran and his entire team a fantastic and successful tournament. I can’t wait to return next year, and for now I’m focusing on preparing for the U.S. Open,” Sinner said.
It is precisely the condition of his knee that has Sinner and his entourage concerned. The South Tyrolean tennis player underwent several examinations, first in Milan with his personal physician and then at JMedical in Turin. He will continue to visit the Turin facility for at least part of next week, with the goal of resolving the issue once and for all. Among the planned treatments is shockwave therapy, designed to reduce inflammation and allow Sinner to return to the court pain-free. The priority at this point is to recover as fully as possible without rushing the process.
The Cincinnati Masters 1000 was the last event identified by Sinner and his team to best prepare for the U.S. Open, the major goal for the remainder of the season. After withdrawing from Montreal—a move that also dashed his chances of completing the season’s Masters 1000 Grand Slam—the Italian will therefore sit out another major tournament. The downside is that Sinner will arrive in New York more than a month after his last match—the Wimbledon final he won at the All England Club. This is a particularly long layoff, compounded by his return to hard courts after a season on clay and grass.
Wimbledon, however, has already shown that Sinner doesn’t necessarily need many matches to immediately regain his form. On that occasion as well, the South Tyrolean arrived at the Championships without having played a single official match on grass, yet still managed to win the title for the second consecutive time. The decision to skip Cincinnati should therefore be viewed primarily in context. Sinner now knows his body well and understands that, at this moment, it’s more important to recover fully rather than take the court without being certain he’s at 100 percent.
