Corrado Barazzutti takes Jannik Sinner’s staff to task: “This just fuels speculation.”
In a world flooded with press releases, social media posts, and rumors, Jannik Sinner is something of a rare exception: the South Tyrolean has always kept a low profile online, and even his staff doesn’t usually issue many statements or give many interviews. Everyone is focused on a single goal: winning.
Even the handling of Sinner’s knee injury was handled with great discretion and caution, but Corrado Barazzutti had something to say about it and did so during an interview with Tuttosport: “The thing is, we haven’t seen him on the court for almost three months, and when a player like him is out for that long, it’s normal for doubts to arise.”
“What I don’t understand is why they can’t issue a medical report simply stating: this is the problem, he’ll be back in three months, in four months. I understand that privacy concerns take precedence, but since we’re talking about the world No. 1, a slightly clearer statement would at least give everyone an idea. Otherwise, it just fuels speculation. Let’s just say I’m concerned, yes, even though I don’t have a lot of information. There’s talk of “extra-articular tendon inflammation.”
The world No. 1’s injury comes at a sensitive time: many tennis players are speaking out to call for less crowded schedules and commitments that are better spread out over the course of the year. The goal is obviously to reduce the risk of injuries and give the champions some rest.
On this issue, Barazzutti has a very clear view: “It’s true—there’s no doubt that players are under a lot of strain. But it’s also true that they train precisely to handle that pressure, and they should be cared for and trained with prevention in mind: if good preventive work is done, in my opinion, the risk of physical injuries decreases.”
“This year, Jannik played every Masters 1000 tournament he could in the spring, always making it all the way to the final. What happened at Roland Garros was certainly an isolated incident, but he went into it with a lot of matches already under his belt. Perhaps he could have afforded to skip Madrid or Rome,” remarked the former world No. 7.
