Sinner talks about his hip pain: “I feel pretty good” | ATP Tour

Cincinnati

Sinner talks about his hip pain: “I feel pretty good”

The Italian reflects before the debut in Cincinnati against Michelsen or Griekspoor

August 12, 2024

Jannik Sinner showed signs of physical problems during his quarter-final defeat in Montreal against Andrey Rublev. But the Italian reassured his fans on Monday in Cincinnati by speaking about the seriousness of his ailments.

“I feel pretty good. Obviously I spent almost a week without practicing before the tournament and then, after playing two or three days in a row, a little bit more than usual, [eso] could [haber tenido] “a potential impact on the hip,” said the top seed at the Cincinnati Open. “But I’m not scared. I feel good with the hip and I’m looking forward to getting back on the court here.”

Sinner was the standout player of the first half of the season, winning his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. He also rose to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time in June. However, one of his main goals was to triumph at the Paris Olympics, which he was unable to participate in after being diagnosed with tonsillitis.

“This year I felt that because I was playing well, including at Roland Garros, and knowing that the Olympics were going to be played there, I was going to have a chance to win medals,” Sinner said. “But sometimes you have to accept it. It’s all part of the sport, and I also have to be happy with what I have, not always looking at the negative.”

“I think my season is going in a very, very positive way, and we continue to build on that.”

It’s been a game-changing season for the 22-year-old. In late 2022, he advanced to the Nitto ATP Finals championship match and picked up multiple wins against Novak Djokovic. But in 2024, he proved he can consistently beat the world’s best players for the biggest titles.

“We all have doubts. Sometimes, even before I won a Grand Slam, I had some doubts about whether I could win a Grand Slam or not. And then you get to the point where you win it,” Sinner said. “Afterwards, in your mind you know you can do it, but you still have to work hard for it.”

Sinner has already been world number one for more than 10 weeks. He is eager to continue improving in order to try and stay at the top of the sport.

“If you just want to stay in the position, you have to get better. And if you want to get better, you have to get better than everyone else,” Sinner said. “I think it’s a good balance between how much work you put in and how much quality you can put into the work.”

The winner of four titles this season has not historically excelled in Cincinnati, where he has a 3-3 record. But the top seed will try to improve that this week.

“I usually struggle a bit here because of the conditions, but I’m looking forward to seeing how I react this year because it’s a big test for me,” Sinner said. “I think this tournament can give you a lot of confidence for the US Open, which is the last Grand Slam we have all year. So, in my opinion, this is a very important tournament.”

“We’re taking it day by day. Today is my first day of practice. We’ll see how I feel… I have a couple of days to prepare and I hope I can play some good tennis.”