Former French Open Champion Pinpoints Reason Behind Players’ Injury Woes After Compatriot Jannik Sinner’s US Open Withdrawal

Jannik Sinner will be skipping a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since making his debut at the 2019 US Open. He will not be at Flushing Meadows for the season’s last Major because of a knee injury.

Not just Sinner; Jack Draper and Holger Rune also won’t be in action at the US Open. The Brit has been dealing with a persistent arm injury since last year, while the Dane has yet to play a tournament since rupturing his Achilles tendon during the Stockholm Open last year.

Carlos Alcaraz, the reigning champion in the New York Major, will be making his comeback after a long injury hiatus. He injured his wrist during the opening round of the Barcelona Open.

The last time Alcaraz and Sinner were in the same draw was in the Monte-Carlo Masters final, where the Italian beat the defending champion to win his career’s first Big Title on clay. Sinner, who last competed in the final of Wimbledon, skipped the Canadian Open to get some much-needed rest.

And when the Cincinnati Masters was around the corner, the Italian ace confirmed his injury and withdrew. His compatriot, the 1976 French Open champion Adriano Panatta, was surprised by the severity of the World No. 1’s injury, and in his appearance on La Domenica Sportiva, he blamed the current playing style for players’ injuries.

I didn’t expect it. Obviously, he is not yet in his best form, and he has already had bad experiences playing in precarious physical conditions.

Adriano Panatta said (H/T: TennisUptoDate)

Panatta cited the example of Rafael Nadal‘s game style and compared it to Roger Federer‘s. He believes Novak Djokovic‘s flexible physique helped him avoid injuries for most of his career.

Playing style matters a lot. Nadal had a more violent and explosive game than Federer, who was the god of tennis. Djokovic also had a more flexible physique and more fluid strokes, so he had fewer physical problems. But now, there are too many injuries. Apart from Sinner and Alcaraz, we have had Rune, [Matteo] Berrettini, [Lorenzo] Musetti, [Taylor] Fritz, all top-10 players who have had major physical problems. Something is not working.

Adriano Panatta added

The main draw of the US Open kicks off on August 30. Before starting his singles campaign, Alcaraz will play the mixed doubles with Serena Williams.

Corrado Barazzutti says Jannik Sinner made the right decision by withdrawing from the US Open

Jannik Sinner has won the most titles on the men’s tour this season. After losing the Australian Open semifinal and the Qatar Open quarterfinal, the five-time Major champion clinched Big Titles in Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, Monte Carlo, Rome, and Wimbledon.

At last year’s US Open, Sinner failed to defend his title, losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the final. Reacting to his injury problem, Corrado Barazzutti said he is convinced the knee injury is a serious one, as the 25-year-old didn’t even try to play at the US Open.

We have no information, we don’t know anything. Also, on Carlos Alcaraz: he was in Barcelona, suddenly retired, and was out of action for four and a half months. Surely Jannik made the best decision by listening to the doctors’ opinion.

Corrado  Barazzutti told Corriere della Sera

In the Wimbledon final, Sinner defeated Alexander Zverev to defend his title. Sascha will be chasing his first title in the New York Major. It was he who ended the Alcaraz-Sinner dominance in Grand Slams by defeating Flavio Cobolli in the French Open final. Zverev is a former runner-up in Paris, losing to Dominic Thiem in 2020.

Also read: Stan Wawrinka’s US Open Wild Card Snub Ahead of Retirement Sparks Wild Reactions – “Disgusting Decision”