Jannik Sinner: Sofia Goggia’s doctor speaks out: “A traumatic break”

Jannik Sinner finally seems to be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel after the knee injury that has kept him out of action for the past few months. Thanks to an impressive recovery effort, the South Tyrolean will compete in the Six Kings Slam exhibition in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: while no ATP points are at stake, it will be an excellent opportunity to test his physical condition.

In addition to his physical condition, Jannik Sinner will also need to regain his mental strength, as Dr. Romana Caruso explained to *Corriere della Sera*: “A champion may be led to see in what he does the significance of himself as a human being: an injury comes as an existential break and, as such, is traumatic.”

“How an injury is managed depends heavily on the emotional investment the athlete has made in that sport: often the mistake—especially in individual sports—is to identify oneself with one’s results,” explained the psychotherapist, who has also worked with Sofia Goggia in the past. “At that point, helping an athlete shift from thinking to feeling is a daunting task.”

Dr. Caruso then elaborated: “Just like illness, an injury is an opportunity for growth. Initially, the setback causes a drastic drop in energy: at the moment of the abrupt halt, there’s a crisis. Ideally, when getting back on track, one should work on the body, mind, and heart. Perhaps it was time for this young man to pause his dazzling career to truly reflect on himself. You can’t fool God. Nor can you fool your emotions: everything you haven’t resolved comes back to the surface.”

It’s not always easy to know when the time has come to start over: “When you’ve healed in your soul, as well as in your knee. An injury opens up a whole new world; it allows you to listen to yourself and strengthen your heart. If Jannik Sinner finds the key to unlocking this, he’ll become a better man and athlete: existentially independent.”