Jannik Sinner: A Former Star Sounds the Alarm

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have withdrawn from both the Montreal and Cincinnati Masters 1000 tournaments. Greg Rusedski provided an update on the situation; on his “Off Court” podcast, he also speculated that both players might miss the season’s final Grand Slam, allowing them to fully recover from their respective physical issues.

As for Jannik Sinner, who is dealing with inflammation in his right knee, Rusedski urges caution, while emphasizing the world No. 1’s determination to compete in New York. “We won’t know anything more about Sinner until the week before the US Open, because he’s determined to be there and try to win another Grand Slam. But health comes first, and these players need to take the time they need. This shows just how physical and demanding the tour is. Because Sinner seemed like the kind of player who would never have physical problems, and yet now he’s the one with a knee injury.”

Even more delicate, according to the former British tennis player, is the situation of Carlos Alcaraz, sidelined by a wrist injury and now away from the courts for several weeks. Rusedski considers a potential return directly to New York, without having played a warm-up tournament, to be risky. “I think it’s a huge risk. He should start with a best-of-three-set match, because training is one thing, but playing is another. The adrenaline that gets pumping, the fact that you’re giving it your all at full speed, means your tennis level always rises another 5–10% compared to what you show in practice, no matter how hard you train. On top of that, there’s the pressure and the expectations. You can’t expect to recover and then immediately face a best-of-five-set match.”

Rusedski goes on to speculate that the Spaniard will be absent: “I’d be surprised if he played in the U.S. Open. In my opinion, he should have played in Cincinnati to have a chance at making the U.S. Open. He won’t make the mistake of taking that risk. He doesn’t want to take any chances. So I don’t think he’ll be able to play in the U.S. Open, even though we’re seeing a lot of progress in his comeback. If he isn’t in New York at the start of the week leading up to the tournament, he won’t play.”