"Urging Jannik Sinner to carry on after he said 'it hurts'" - Coach Vagnozzi's decision in Madrid could "prove costly," warns tennis commentator
Tennis commentator Rob Koenig recently stated that Jannik Sinner's coach, Simone Vagnozzi pushing the Italian to keep playing despite him complaining of his hip injury during the 2024 Madrid Open was not right. He stated that this decision could "prove costly" and have negative consequences in the future.
Sinner was having an exceptional year. He started that year by winning his maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. He then claimed two more titles - the ABN AMRO Open title and the Miami Open title. He also had semifinal runs at the Indian Wells Masters and the Monte-Carlo Masters .
At the Madrid Open, Jannik Sinner began his campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. He defeated his compatriot Lorenzo Sonego 6-0, 6-3 in the opening round and then went on to defeat Pavel Kotov 6-2, 7-5, and Karen Khachanov 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 in the third and fourth rounds, respectively.
The World No.2 was slated to face Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarterfinals but withdrew from the match due to a hip injury. As a result, he was also forced to withdraw from the ongoing Italian Open.
Reacting to the Sinner's withdrawal, tennis commentator Rob Koenig criticized his coach Simone Vagnozzi for downplaying the severity of the injury and urging him to continue playing in Madrid.
"Will be sad if Sinner misses RG, man I love watching him compete. One thing I’ll never understand though, is a player asking his team if he should continue…JS clearly in discomfort in Madrid, Simone urging him to carry on after Jannik said “it hurts” (groin area)." Koenig posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Koenig warned that this decision could prove "costly," potentially leading to the Italian to miss the 2024 French Open.
"….could prove to be a costly decision. Only the player knows how bad their injury feels. I had a bad feeling at the time that this could come back to bite, Jannik. To miss Rome and (perhaps) RG, would confirm it was the wrong decision to keep playing in Madrid, IMO. #GetWellSoon," he added.
Rob Koenig also stated that while he understands all the players often compete with minor injuries, Jannik Sinner's admission that he was in pain raised a "red flag" for him.
"I’m not confusing niggles with pain…you’re right, most players play with discomfort somewhere, but this was different. You don’t see him saying “it hurts” every other week. That was the red flag for me.🚩 ," Koenig posted.
Jannik Sinner on his hip injury: "If it can't be cured 100% I will stop"
Speaking at a press conference ahead of the 2024 Italian Open, Jannik Sinner had stated that he did not wish to reveal exactly the nature of his injury which caused him to withdraw both from Madrid and Rome.
Sinner, however said that he has a great support team who are doing everything they can to make him match-ready.
The Italian made it clear that he will only return to competition when he is fully recovered as he is unwilling to jeopardize the progress he has made in his career over the past three years.
"I don't want to say what exactly the problem is, but we definitely have everything under control. If it can't be cured 100% I will stop, because I don't want to throw away three years of my career. Taking care of the body is more important than everything else," Jannik Sinner said (translated from Italian).
The World No.2 stated that taking care of his body and prioritizing his physical well-being is the most important thing for him.