Roger Federer Spills the Beans on Jannik Sinner

Roger Federer is the star of the week leading up to the US Open, which is packed with promotional events and matches between tennis legends. The former Swiss tennis player, who appeared to be in great shape, also trained with Lorenzo Musetti in New York and, between matches, spoke about the current state of tennis and Jannik Sinner.

The former Swiss star—the only player to win the US Open five consecutive times—revealed to the media present which players he’d like to face on the current ATP Tour. “Definitely Carlos Alcaraz—he’s an exciting player. I never had the chance to play against him during my career.”

And then there’s Jannik: “Same goes for Sinner. Unfortunately, I completely missed this generation, and I’m sorry about that—we only trained together a little bit a few times. There are so many young players I just barely missed the chance to face because of my knee problems.”

“Of course, facing Novak Djokovic would also be fantastic—he’s still in top form and never gives up. I’m thinking especially of them. It’s great to see Carlos again, and I’m glad he made it in time, so we’ll see how he feels as the tournament goes on. I don’t have to worry about how I would have played against him because I’m not in the draw, but I wish him the best!”

Adriano Panatta commented on Sinner’s withdrawal during an interview on *Domenica Sportiva*, admitting he hadn’t expected it: “Clearly, he’s not at his best yet, and he’s had some bad experiences playing under precarious conditions. This time, he didn’t want to take any risks.” Panatta then broadened his perspective to address the issue of injuries on the modern tour: “We’re talking about too many injuries here; aside from Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, we’ve had Rune, Berrettini, Musetti, and Fritz—all top-ten players who’ve suffered major setbacks. Something isn’t working; I think it’s the style of play that forces you to push yourself too hard.”