Jannik Sinner Urged to ‘Take Cue’ From Carlos Alcaraz: “He Doesn’t Want to Make the Same Mistake”

Carlos Alcaraz‘s biggest victory this season was his complete recovery from his wrist injury, said Claudio Pistolesi, a former ATP player from Italy. The former World No.71 urged his compatriot Jannik Sinner to follow in his arch-rival’s footsteps and not rush his comeback.

Sinner and Alcaraz’s 2026 seasons have been marred by physical setbacks as the latter succumbed to a wrist injury during the Barcelona Open and returned to competition after four months at the US Open, where eventual runner-up Ben Shelton beat him in the quarterfinals in a five-set thriller. The only time Sinner met Alcaraz this season was in the final of the Monte-Carlo Masters, which the former won.

As Alcaraz began recovering and many thought they would finally see both in the same draw, Sinner withdrew from the US Open with a knee injury, which ultimately ended his season.

Pistolesi, during his interview with Fanpage, revealed that despite being warned not to, his former protege Robin Soderling continued to play while battling pain. The former World No.4, also the first player in history to defeat Rafael Nadal at the French Open in 2009, was forced to discontinue his career at the age of 26.

Sinner doesn’t want to make the same mistake, just like Alcaraz. Now it seems like Alcaraz’s wrist isn’t being talked about anymore, right? So, win or lose on the court, he doesn’t have any wrist problems now. This is Alcaraz’s big victory now. I mean, he’s won one tournament out of seven in the last few, but who cares? He’s counting on being back on the court at a competitive level, he won Tokyo, which is a great tournament, and he’s back on track. Now it will grow back. It takes a bit of time.

Claudio Pistolesi said

After his return, the Spaniard defended his title at the Japan Open by beating Jiri Lehecka. But at the Shanghai Masters, his campaign ended with a straight-set defeat to Zizou Bergs in the third round.

I think Sinner should take a cue from Alcaraz: it’s the knee that counts. When he sees that he doesn’t think about it anymore, that he focuses on serve, return, tactics, training, and goes to the gym without thinking about his knee, then it will be time to come back. I’m disappointed because we won’t see Sinner for a number of months, but I hope that, as he said, 2027 will be more than enough.

Claudio Pistolesi added

Alcaraz is set to play the Vienna Open next. The ATP 500 tournament will kick off on October 26.

Jessica Pegula says Jannik Sinner’s injury is not shocking

Jannik Sinner grew up in South Tyrol, and before becoming a tennis player, he used to be a skier. Skiing helped him a great deal in controlling his movements, as he, as Madison Keys has noticed, can “run into corners or slide into corners and stop and cut.“

Keys described this on The Player’s Box Podcast, where her on-court rival and co-host Jessica Pegula said Sinner’s injury did not surprise her, highlighting his unconventional movement.

So I don’t really think it’s that shocking that he possibly has a little something going on. I guess Novak Djokovic is probably the closest, but Jannik looks like he’s skiing on a tennis court.

Sinner last played in the Wimbledon final. He defeated Alexander Zverev in four sets and defended his title.

Before ending his season, the five-time Grand Slam champion took home six titles. Outside of Wimbledon, he won the first five Masters 1000s of the season.

Also read: Novak Djokovic Told His Biggest Problem This Year Is Mental and Not Physical: “He’s Nervous in the First Round”