Jannik Sinner claims it is “impossible” for him to be fit for Cincinnati

Jannik Sinner claims it is “impossible” for him to be fully fit for the Cincinnati Masters

Jannik Sinner suffered only his fifth defeat of the year in Montreal and the world number one revealed that he wants to be “back in shape” for the US Open.

Sinner lost his second match of the day at the Canadian Open to fifth seed Andrey Rublev 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 after reaching the quarterfinals with a win over Alejandro Tabilo.

Although he was unable to defend his title, Sinner said he was happy with the result after being forced to withdraw from the Paris Olympics due to illness.

“For me it's a good result to come here and achieve this result, even if it is like that, because the position I was in was and is not easy,” explained the Italian. “You have to accept that. Let's see what happens in the next tournaments.”

There have been some concerns about Sinner after he appeared to have renewed problems with his hip, an injury that has troubled the 22-year-old in recent months.

Sinner downplayed concerns about the severity of a possible injury, but acknowledged that he will not be at his best for next week's event in Cincinnati.

“I think these things are definitely more mental than physical,” Sinner said. “Even though I know my body isn't being pushed as hard as I would like because of the last week, it was definitely mental as well.

“It will be difficult to perform miracles in the next five days, it's impossible. I don't think I can be 100 percent in Cincinnati, but I want to be back in shape for the US Open, the most important tournament in the US swing, the last Grand Slam of the year. That's my goal.”

Sinner will return to action next week as the top seed in Cincinnati, an event in which he has never advanced beyond the third round, against the winner of Tallon Griekspoor or a qualifier.

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— Cincinnati Open (@CincyTennis) 10 August 2024

Within the baseline …

Jannik Sinner has been so impressive this year that any loss is a big talking point for the world number one. Andrey Rublev, however, can beat anyone on a good day and although he has had a rough few months, the Russian looks to be returning to form in Montreal. What worries Sinner most is the ongoing injury and illness that seems to be holding him back, but the Italian seems to believe it just takes time and hopefully that will be the case.

READ MORE – 2024 Cincinnati Open preview: When is it, who is playing and what is the prize money?

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