Jannik Sinner: Adriano Panatta Sounds the Alarm: “He’s Risking Much More”
Jannik Sinner’s withdrawal from the Beijing tournament has reignited the debate over the world No. 1’s physical condition; he has not played since the Wimbledon final on July 12. The Italian’s return could be pushed back to the Shanghai Masters 1000, which begins on October 7, or to the Vienna tournament on October 24. This hiatus could therefore last up to three and a half months.
Adriano Panatta weighed in on the topic in *Corriere della Sera*, shifting the focus from Sinner’s individual case to a broader issue affecting the entire tour. “Many are wondering what’s wrong with Sinner. But it would be more accurate to ask what’s wrong with tennis,” wrote the former champion.
Sinner is dealing with a right knee injury sustained during a training session, and according to Panatta, the decision not to rush his recovery is the most prudent one. “If Jannik rushes his return, he risks much more” than if he waits until his knee has fully recovered and the pain has subsided.
For Panatta, however, the problem isn’t limited to Sinner alone. The increasingly packed schedule and the evolution of the game are subjecting tennis players to growing physical stress: “Tennis is unforgiving, and this version of the game even more so,” Panatta emphasizes. “People say we play too much, and it’s true, but that’s only part of the problem.” According to the former world No. 4, another contributing factor is the combination of increasingly long tournaments and a power-based style of tennis.
“Two-week tournaments force the top players to stay on their toes for increasingly long periods, but it’s the combination with power-based tennis—played with rackets designed to hit with ever-increasing acceleration—that takes a toll on the players’ bodies and causes countless injuries. Muscles, wrists, backs, shoulders, and knees, of course.”
Panatta also cites a particularly significant statistic: “Injuries have increased by 110 percent compared to the early 2000s.” Hence the question posed to the tennis world: “Does anyone intend to step in and change things?”
The conclusion is clear: “At this rate, tennis won’t go far.” And according to Panatta, it’s no coincidence that Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz—two of the leading figures of the new generation—have already expressed their intention to take longer breaks in the future: “They’ve realized that tennis won’t change, and the only way forward is to change their own game,” Panatta concludes.
