"I'm not afraid" - Jannik Sinner puts to bed concerns about hip injury as he picks up steam for US Open 2024 with Cincinnati Open campaign
Jannik Sinner has put to bed concerns about his hip injury before beginning his 2024 Cincinnati Open campaign. The World No. 1 stated he is not afraid and feels his hip is in good condition.
Sinner's 2024 has been marred with injuries and illnesses. He was ousted from the quarterfinals at Wimbledon by Daniil Medvedev while suffering from an illness during the match. The Italian also missed the 2024 Paris Olympics due to tonsillitis.
Sinner took to the court for the first time after a month when he played at the Canadian Open as the defending champion. Sinner won against Borna Coric and Alejandro Tabilo in the first and second rounds in Montreal respectively. However, Andrey Rublev defeated the Italian in three sets in the quarterfinal.
The Australian Open champion was seemingly tending to an injured right hip during his match against Rublev. However, he avoided calling the trainer and continued the match.
Sinner's appearance at the Cincinnati Open was a doubt due to the manner of his exit in Canada but he cleared the doubts surrounding his injury during a recent press conference.
“I feel quite good. Obviously, I made nearly one week without practicing before and then after playing for two, three days in a row, a bit more than usual, [that] could [have had] a potential impact to the hip,” Jannik Sinner said.
“But I'm not afraid. I feel good with the hip, and I'm just looking forward to go back on court here,” he added.
Jannik Sinner believes a good Cincinnati Open campaign can set him up well for the US Open
During the same press conference, Jannik Sinner opened up about the struggles he has historically faced at the Cincinnati Open. He is 3-3 at the Masters 1000 event. He also mentioned how important it is in the lead-up to the US Open.
“Here usually I struggle a little bit to play because of the conditions, but I'm looking forward to see my reaction this year, because it's a great test for me,” Jannik Sinner said.
“I believe that this tournament can give you a lot of confidence then for the US Open, which is the last Grand Slam we have throughout the year. So in my mind, this is a very important tournament," he added.
Sinner received a bye in the first round as the eighth-seed last year and faced a 6-4, 7-6 defeat against Dusan Lajovic in the second round. This year, Sinner has received a bye in the first round as the top seed and will take on the winner of the match between Tallon Griekspoor and Alex Michelsen in the second round.