Despite having a very successful season, the last few months have been tough for Jannik Sinner. The Italian hasn’t made a competitive appearance since the Wimbledon final in July. He missed the entire US swing due to a right knee injury, and there is no guarantee whether he will participate in the Asian swing either.

While fans are eagerly waiting for him to be back on the court, prominent tennis coach Rick Macci believes that the World No. 1 should think thoroughly before returning to action.

“Sinner need to rest and not dive back in until he feels 100%,” he wrote on X. “Jannik and his team know the way and when to play. The guy is a brutal competitor hard to rattle and wants to battle with the other cattle. Look what he did this year no fear and found another gear. Beyond Historic but he has to listen to his body or he will prehistoric.”

The Asian swing is an important part of ATP’s calendar. It consists of the Masters event in Shanghai and 500 events in Beijing and Tokyo. It will be a major setback for Sinner if he has to miss all these tournaments, as he won’t be able to have any match practice before the European swing, which will conclude with the ATP Finals in Turin.

Not to mention that Sinner’s No. 1 ranking can also come under threat if he continues missing tournaments consecutively. Alexander Zverev is the one who can be in contention to take over the rankings if he maintains his current form in the coming months.

Sinner currently stands at the top with 11,500 points, and Zverev is second with 9,690 points. Though there is still a considerable gap between the two, it can close quickly if Zverev has a successful Asian swing. The German is arguably in the form of his life and is coming off a remarkable triumph at the US Open. He has captured two Grand Slam titles this season and has regularly reached the later stages of important events.

Though Sinner will be desperate to return as soon as possible, there are many who believe that he shouldn’t rush his recovery. Former ATP pro Stefano Pescosolido has a similar opinion to Macci on the matter. He believes that Sinner should skip the Asian swing and take a longer break.

Jannik Sinner tipped to miss Asian swing as fitness issues continue

“I think he’s a little more careful from a physical standpoint. He wants to avoid relapses,” said Pescosolido in an interview on Tuttosport. “The Slams are his main goal, and I imagine he wants to be at his best next year to try to win as many as possible. There are two options: Beijing and Shanghai, or starting with the indoor tournaments.”

“Last year, at the ATP 1000 tournament in China, the conditions were difficult and he withdrew due to cramps. He could skip the Asian trip and return from Vienna, to be ready for the ATP Finals, in order to best plan for the following year.”

This isn’t the first time that Sinner has struggled with fitness issues in 2026. He had previously struggled under the scorching heat in Paris, and this led to a breakdown at the French Open. He suffered a shock second-round exit at the hands of Juan Manuel Cerundolo, who defeated him in five sets.

The Italian suffered from cramps and even felt dizzy during the match. Despite winning the first two sets, he then went on to lose the next three and unexpectedly exited the Grand Slam. Sinner then didn’t play any grass-court event leading up to Wimbledon, as he wanted to focus on his recovery.

Though Sinner’s triumph at SW19 led many to believe that he was fully fit once again, the knee injury came back to bite him before the US Open. It is now up to him to decide whether he wants to participate in the Asian swing or not.