Corrado Barazzutti is blunt about Jannik Sinner after his withdrawal from the U.S. Open

Former Italian tennis captain Corrado Barazzutti commented in *Corriere della Sera* on Jannik Sinner’s decision to withdraw from the U.S. Open due to a knee injury: “It’s a very difficult decision. It could have been another Grand Slam title to add to his collection: Novak Djokovic’s 24 are a long way off—Jannik is at 5—but one step at a time, you can start dreaming. But clearly the injury is serious; he didn’t even try.”

According to Barazzutti, the South Tyrolean champion made the right decision if he didn’t feel up to it: “Both as a player and as a coach, my stance has always been clear: you don’t mess around with injuries. An athlete knows when it’s best to stop: Sinner and his staff had all the information they needed to assess the situation, knowing the possible consequences of pushing through it. I’ve seen tennis players up close who took risks and paid the price.”

“It happened to Fognini in 2023. I was his coach. He played the third round at Roland Garros against Ofner despite a chest injury: the doctor advised him not to take the court, but he’s a generous player and gave it his all—only to end up making the situation worse.”

Barazzutti chose not to comment on the severity of the injury: “We have no information; we know nothing. The same goes for Alcaraz: he was in Barcelona, suddenly withdrew, and was sidelined for four and a half months. Jannik certainly made the best decision by listening to the doctors’ advice.”

Paolo Bertolucci said he wasn’t surprised by Sinner’s withdrawal: “Why should we be surprised? No one has seen him on a tennis court in a while. No training, just therapy.” The former tennis player emphasized that the decision was actually predictable: “If he’d been training like crazy—not just since July, or since Wimbledon, but even in the last 10 days with hours on the court, playing tennis, and working out in the gym—I’d understand the surprise. But as it is, no. He’s been out of action 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 100 percent: it’s no joke—if you go there, you have to be in top shape.”