By May 6 (UPI) — Italian Jannik Sinner says he will not play in the 2024 French Open if he is not 100% recovered from a hip injury. The No. 2 player in the ATP Tour rankings withdrew from a Madrid Open quarterfinal because of the issue.
“I’ll only play if I’m 100%,” Sinner told reporters Sunday in Rome. “If there is half a doubt, obviously we have to see.”
Sinner announced over the weekend on Instagram that he would not play in the 2024 Italian Open. He said he made that decision based on conversations he had with doctors and specialists regarding his “hip problems.”
“Some injuries can be prevented, some can’t,” Sinner said. “So far we’ve done a great job. Last year I played a whole season without injuries and also in this season so far.”
Sinner started his clay-court campaign at the Monte Carlo Masters. He lost to No. 8 Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece to end that run in the tournament semifinals. Two weeks later, he started play at the Madrid Open. Sinner advanced to a quarterfinal matchup with No. 20 Felix Auger Aliassime of Canada, but pulled out of the Thursday meeting because of his ailment.
He then withdrew from the Italian Open, with main-draw play scheduled to start Wednesday. That clay-court tournament, another warm up for the French Open, will be held through May 19 in Rome.
Two lower-level clay events — the Gonet Geneva Open and Open Parc — will be held the week before the French Open. The second Grand Slam of the series will be held from May 26 to June 9 at Roland Garros in Paris.
“Obviously, the preparation for Paris will not be optimal,” Sinner said. “We’ll give our best to get there in the best possible conditions to compete, but getting to Paris without matches in Rome isn’t easy. I believe that Rome is an important tournament to get to Paris.”
Sinner said he didn’t want to jeopardize his future tennis career by playing through the issue.
“With the MRI we saw that something isn’t 100% OK,” Sinner said. “However, we have everything under control. If it doesn’t get 100% cured, I’ll stop a little longer. Taking care of the body is more important than everything else.”
Sinner, who started the 2024 campaign with 16-consecutive wins, is 28-2 this season. He won titles at the Australian Open, Rotterdam and the Miami Open during that run.
“I’ll just try to get back to 100% as soon as possible, hopefully trying to play in Paris and then Wimbledon and all the rest,” Sinner said. “We’ll take our time, there’s no rush and hopefully I can get back very, very soon.”
