"Imagine if it was Novak Djokovic, hypocrisy at its best" - Serb's fans lament double standards after Jannik Sinner calls for physio in French Open SF
Jannik Sinner's decision to call the physio for a right-arm massage during his semifinal at the French Open led to comparisons with Novak Djokovic by fans online. A few opined that if the Serb had done the same, it would have been considered a mind game and a ploy to arrest the momentum of the opponent.
Jannik Sinner exited the 2024 French Open in the semifinals after a grueling five-set battle against Carlos Alcaraz. The soon-to-be World No. 1 put the Spaniard on the back foot in the first set before the latter made a strong comeback in the second. The match witnessed a back-and-forth struggle till the Italian took the third set, but it proved futile as Alcaraz ultimately clinched the final two sets to win the contest 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Sinner appeared to be struggling from cramps during the match and received a right arm massage from the physio during a break in the third set. Commentators noted that while players can receive treatment during changeovers, they aren't allowed medical timeouts for cramps, even if the cramp is in the arm.
Fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted to the video and claimed that if Djokovic had done the same, he would have been accused of disrupting the momentum of the match.
A few fans online had previously accused Djokovic of faking the severity of a knee injury sustained during his French Open quarterfinal match against Francisco Cerundolo after the Serb took a long medical break during a changeover in the second set.
One fan drew parallels to the above situation and wrote that Sinner was "faking" the injury.
"Oh no! Sinner is faking an injury! How dare he play with Carlito's mind. Sinner is on a losing streak so he pretends to have problems. He even called for a physio to break Alcaraz's momentum and now he is flying all over the court LOL LOL LOL," the fan wrote on X.
Another fan echoed similar sentiments:
"Just imagine headlines if it was Novak… Hypocrisy at its best."
Here are a few other reactions from fans:
"If this was Novak, we all know what would the comments be like," a fan chimed in.
"Oh..... Look at the 22 year old. How dare a 37 year old get treatment," a fan wrote.
"What a faker," one fan commented.
"And where is supervisor to monitor Sinner??? He was there when Novak ask for medical time out. So disrespectful to Novak," a fan wrote.
"Disappointed about how it went today" - Jannik Sinner on his French Open semifinal defeat
Jannik Sinner spoke about his semifinal loss and addressed concerns about his hip during the post-match press conference. The Italian stated that his hip held up well throughout the contest against Carlos Alcaraz.
Sinner claimed that he experienced some discomfort but stated that he was moving well and didn't want to use it as an excuse. The Italian had to withdraw from the Madrid Open before his quarterfinal match against Felix Auger-Aliassime due to a hip injury.
He subsequently missed the Italian Open to focus on his recovery before making his return at Roland Garros. Sinner said during the press conference:
"The hip was okay and also the match the more goes on it's the right hip that doesn't have the strength of the left hip. It's normal because at this moment sometimes I feel a little bit especially after two and a half hours and until four hours, but this is no excuse. I was moving good, I was feeling quite good on the court so I'm not anymore worried about the hip."
"I'm just uh disappointed about how it went today and just have to accept it," he added.
Jannik Sinner now trails Carlos Alcaraz 4-5 in their head-to-head tally. The Australian Open champion will now shift his focus to the Wimbledon Championships, beginning his grass court season at the Terra Wortmann Open.