Paolo Canè takes a direct swipe at Jannik Sinner: “Let’s not be surprised anymore”

After the injury that forced him to miss Montreal, Cincinnati, and the U.S. Open, Jannik Sinner now appears close to returning to the court, with his goal being to compete in the China Open scheduled for the end of the month. Despite his long absence, Italian tennis analyst Paolo Canè has no major doubts about Sinner’s return.

“We shouldn’t be surprised anymore by these world No. 1s—even if they’re out for three or four months, they come back and play incredible matches,” he said in an interview with Fanpage. “Sinner has realized that, no matter how much you train 24 hours a day and plan every little detail, there are unforeseen events along the way that you simply can’t account for,”

“He can teach everyone a thing or two about training, nutrition, rest, and planning, but sometimes all that isn’t enough. There are external factors beyond your control. The Roland Garros experience, for example, was very helpful: it made him realize that if you want to keep the machine running at the highest level for many years, you have to always be at 100% of your physical condition.”

“Precisely in light of this lesson, I think he’s become even more meticulous in managing his schedule: he only takes the court when he feels he’s truly in top form,” continued the former Italian champion. “ Knowing that, unfortunately, the consequences of the unexpected are always just around the corner.”

“He’s playing and training now; it seems to me we’re on the right track. He could have played at the U.S. Open at 80% or at half-strength and still made it deep into the draw. But if you further aggravate an injury and make the situation worse, it takes even longer to come back,” concluded Paolo Canè.