Jannik Sinner Clears the Air on Health Concerns After Commanding Win at the US Open

The defending champion has wrapped up his first match at the US Open and things are looking good! There was plenty of worry in the air. Many wondered if Jannik Sinner would be in shape after illness forced him to pull out of the Cincinnati Open final. He retired just 23 minutes into the match against Carlos Alcaraz only last week. But now, he’s back in New York with the racquet in hand. The big question: is he ready?

Well, it seems so! The World No.1 showed no signs of trouble against Vit Kopriva. He stormed through in pure Sinner style, taking the match with a swift straight-set win: 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 over the Czech. Since August 21, he was already back on the practice courts. Today, after the win, he spoke about how it feels to return after being down with the flu.

After his match, Jannik Sinner sounded upbeat and confident. “It feels great to be back here. Obviously it’s a very special tournament. The last Slam of the year. The atmosphere is always amazing here. Thanks everyone for coming and cheering and supporting. Very happy that I’m healthy again. We did our best to be in the best possible shape here. I’m very happy today’s performance. Let’s see what’s coming,” he said. The fans loved every word, as the Italian reminded them he’s here to fight.

Happy. Healthy. And back to conquering courts. But what exactly happened to Jannik in Cincinnati? His coach, Darren Cahill, explained it to SportsCenter. “Sinner contracted a small virus on Sunday that worsened the next day. We hope to have him back on the courts tomorrow.”

At the time, many fans questioned if his US Open title defense was in jeopardy. Now, Jannik Sinner has put all doubts to rest! Catch more updates on the World No.1 and more on our Live Blog!