Jannik Sinner’s Injury Threatens US Open Clash With Felix Auger-Aliassime

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.”

While no strapping was visible through his clothes, we noticed something else. Sinner immediately took a lead and won the third set following his return. And that made many believe that the medical timeout was more of a precautionary move, instead of a serious injury. But is it like the time he pulled out of the US Open Mixed Doubles to recover from his viral illness? Well, not really! 

Indeed, abdominal injuries occur more often than many think. After all, the players have to extensively use their core while serving and sending groundstrokes. But for Jannik Sinner, it was most likely a manageable strain that went away with a tiny break and physiotherapy. But there was one moment in the past where Sinner caught the tennis community off guard. 

During the practice sessions at the Cincinnati Open, Sinner was seen wearing a full-length white sleeve. And that made the fans wonder if there was an elbow injury hiding beneath it. And it was only natural since tennis elbows are a pretty common problem in the sport. But the reality was completely different. 

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. With a lot at stake, he can’t let anything pose as a hurdle between him and his fifth Grand Slam win. But what do you think of the Italian’s medical timeout? Is he hiding an injury? 

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