Back at the Cincinnati Open, Jannik Sinner had to abruptly retire from the final match against Carlos Alcaraz. It wasn’t really an injury that ended the match in just 22 minutes, with Sinner trailing behind the Spaniard by 0-5. Instead, it was illness that had been bothering him. But what happened at the US Open semifinal was a different story altogether. 

After Felix Auger-Aliassime won the second set, and the match stood level at 6-1, 3-6, Sinner was seen getting checked by the physiotherapist. It seemed like his abdomen was causing some trouble. Nevertheless, the world No. 1 returned to the court for the third set. Even the commentators seemed concerned. As the camera zoomed out to show Sinner re-entering the court, the commentator claimed, “It’ll be interesting if we could notice any sort of strapping across his abdomen, left side, really.”

Well, no strapping was visible through his clothes. But with or without strapping, Sinner immediately took a lead and won the third set following his return. It is clear that he is feeling good, and there is no need for further speculation. But speaking of injury speculation, there was one that gathered steam during the recently concluded Cincinnati Open. 

During the practice sessions in Ohio, Sinner was seen wearing a full-length white sleeve. And that made the fans wonder if there was an elbow injury hiding beneath it.  

Why did Jannik Sinner wear a white compression sleeve?

Sinner wasted no time in clearing the air about his elbow when the world began to worry about his compression sleeve. He revealed, “The elbow is good. Today was the first time that I put a sleeve on because I liked the feeling of the sleeve. It gives a little bit more impact with the ball, it’s slightly more stable. That’s my point of view, and I liked it in Wimbledon.” 

It was nothing more than a precautionary measure for the Italian athlete. Jannik Sinner continued, “It gives a little bit more impact with the ball, it’s slightly more stable. That’s my point of view, and I liked it in Wimbledon. I have to see how it is when it’s very hot and humid, because it’s a little bit different, so it’s going to be something that I’m going to take into consideration, but I really love the feeling it gives of pure striking.”

Nevertheless, with the worries sidelined, Sinner furiously competes with Auger-Aliassime. And if you haven’t noticed already, he is wearing a compression sleeve here, too. Only this time it’s black in color. 

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