Roger Federer’s Ex-coach Warns Jannik Sinner His Illness Can Impact His US Open Performance

Jannik Sinner’s next goal is to defend his title at the US Open and tie the Grand Slam titles tally with Carlos Alcaraz.

Roger Federer’s Ex-coach Warns Jannik Sinner His Illness Can Impact His US Open Performance

Jannik Sinner (Image via X/Jannik Sinner HQ)

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Jannik Sinner fell ill a day before his Cincinnati Masters final against Carlos Alcaraz. And as a consequence, he withdrew from the match after trailing 0-5 in the first set.

Sinner’s coach Darren Cahill has confirmed that the World No.1 is suffering from flu but is expecting him to recover completely before the US Open. Roger Federer‘s former coach Ivan Ljubicic, however, has warned Sinner that failing to recover before entering the tournament can impact his campaign. He told La Gazzetta dello Sport:

It depends on how long it lasts. If he recovers in two or three days, there won’t be any setbacks. If he has to rest for the whole week, then it becomes difficult to regain the form needed to win a Slam. Even though Jannik [Sinner] will face more manageable opponents in the early rounds, the distance of three out of five sets, the heat, and humidity of Flushing Meadows could cause him to lose a lot of energy.

The defeat meant Sinner will now have to wait for the Shanghai Masters and bid for a Masters 1000 title defence for the first time. Had he won the Cincinnati title, he would have become the first man since Federer (2014- 2015) to defend this title.

For the Spaniard, it was his first title in Cincinnati, though before this season, he reached the final in 2023 but couldn’t overcome Novak Djokovic. While the four-time Grand Slam champion failed to win his third title of the season, Alcaraz lifted his sixth title of the season as well as his eighth Masters 1000 trophy of his career (also his third this year after victories at the Monte Carlo Masters and the Italian Open).

Sinner’s illness forced him to withdraw from the revamped mixed doubles event at the US Open he was scheduled to play with former doubles No. 1 Katerina Siniakova, who couldn’t participate because the Italian ace withdrew from it. Alcaraz and mixed doubles partner Emma Raducanu lost to the first seeds Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper.

Paolo Bertolucci urges ATP and WTA to modify calendar after Jannik Sinner’s mid-match retirement in Cincinnati

Jannik Sinner‘s retirement from the Cincinnati Masters was a consequence of the hectic schedule, believes Paolo Bertolucci, a former ATP player. Because the Cincinnati Masters, as well as the Canadian Open, have joined the category of 12-day Masters 1000s from this year onward, the latter saw massive withdrawals.

Jannik Sinner (via X/Jannik Sinner Times)
Jannik Sinner (via X/Jannik Sinner Times)

Sinner and Alcaraz also skipped the event held in Toronto. In Cincinnati, the playing time was causing a lot of issues as the extreme heat during the day was making players’ stay on the courts harder.

Then the tournament took perhaps the most surprising decision. The decision was to schedule the men’s final between Alcaraz and Sinner on Monday at 3 p.m. ET.

I believe it is urgent that all the parties involved, therefore the ATP, WTA, organizers, and players, sit down at a table to at least discuss calendars and playing times. Before the problem becomes even more serious. Having to do without Sinner – and it would have been the same if Carlos Alcaraz had withdrawn , obviously – has made everyone understand better that the health and physical integrity of champions are priorities for the show.

Paolo Bertolucci wrote in his column for La Gazzetta dello Sport

The US Open main draw singles event is scheduled to start on August 24th. Sinner will be bidding to defend the title, while Alcaraz, too, will aim to win the title for the second time after the 2022 season. Last year, Sinner beat home favorite Taylor Fritz in the final.

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