Jannik Sinner leaves health concerns behind, practices with Taylor Fritz ahead of ATP Finals 2024
Jannik Sinner and Taylor Fritz have arrived in Turin for the 2024 ATP Finals and both hit the ground running. Sinner, the top seed, took to the court for the first time since his withdrawal from Paris Masters due to illness.
Jannik Sinner was all set to participate at the last Masters 1000 tournament of the year in Paris and had even arrived in the city early to begin preparation. However, after a day of practice, he felt unwell and came down with a virus. Unable to recover in time, the World No. 1 decided against competing at the Paris Masters with the ATP Finals just around the corner.
"I am very disappointed to tell you that I am not able to play here this tournament. I came very early to prepare and fell sick. I am having a virus at the moment, which is gonna pass in the next 2-3 days. So body wise I am not ready to compete," Sinner had said at the time.
Sinner has now brushed off the health issues and reached Turin to prepare for the 2024 ATP Finals. The Italian got his first look at the main court for the year-end championship and had a hitting session with American No. 1 Taylor Fritz. The duo famously faced off in the final of the 204 US Open, where Sinner emerged victorious in straight sets and lifted his third Grand Slam title.
The Italian also shared a video of a fun warmup with his team, playing footvolley with his physio, Marco Panichi, and two more members on the court before practicing.
Jannik Sinner lost to Novak Djokovic in the ATP Finals title clash last year
Jannik Sinner is coming into the 2024 ATP Finals as the top seed and is tasked with defending runners-up points from last year. The 23-year-old played in the ATP Finals for the second time in her career in 2023. He won all three group-stage matches and defeated Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals before losing to Novak Djokovic in the final.
This year, Sinner has been the best player on the ATP Tour and will be the title favorite in Turin. The Italian won an incredible seven titles in 2024 - Australian Open, ABN AMRO Open, Miami Open, Halle Open, Cincinnati Open, US Open, and Shanghai Masters. He also finished as runner-up at the China Open in Beijing.
Sinner is confirmed to be the year-end World No. 1, irrespective of the result at the ATP Finals. He will joined by Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud, Andrey Rublev, and Alex de Minaur at the year-end championship.