Paolo Bertolucci can’t contain himself after Jannik Sinner’s withdrawal

Jannik Sinner was forced to skip the U.S. Open due to a knee that continues to bother him: the world No. 1 hasn’t played since Wimbledon and chose not to fly to New York because he isn’t 100% fit. The Italian’s absence caused quite a stir, but Paolo Bertolucci said he wasn’t surprised by his withdrawal: “Why should we be surprised? No one has seen him on a tennis court in a while. No training, just therapy.”

The South Tyrolean, who had taken a break after Wimbledon, was forced to skip first the Montreal Masters 1000 and then the Cincinnati Masters 1000: in recent weeks, his second home had been at J Medical, where he kept his knee problem under constant monitoring until he had to pull out. This is the first time in his career that he’s had to withdraw from a Grand Slam tournament.

“If he’d been training like crazy—not just since July or Wimbledon, but even in the last 10 days with hours on the court, playing tennis, and working out at the gym—I’d understand the surprise. But not like this,” Bertolucci explained. “He’s sidelined and can’t perform at his best: it was predictable that he’d withdraw. It wouldn’t make sense to show up at the US Open at less than full strength—it’s no joke; if you go there, you have to be in top condition.”

When will we see him back on the court? “It’ll be up to his staff to determine his recovery timeline; let’s hope to see him back on the court soon. His absence weighs heavily on the global tennis scene. The sport is becoming increasingly physical, and more and more is demanded of athletes. Especially in tennis, where there’s no bench, injuries are always just around the corner. Draper has been out for a year, as has Rune. Alcaraz is set to return right now in New York after a four-month hiatus; we hope to see Jannik back on the court soon as well for the indoor season finale,” he told Adnkronos.