Jannik is nursing his knee problem and thinking about the future of his career. After his injury in 2012, the Spanish phenomenon returned to number one in the world in 2013
July 12th seems very far away. It’s the day ofJannik Sinner’s last matchthe day of his triumph at Wimbledon, the second consecutive of his career and no one would have thought that in 2026 the world number one would no longer be able to take the court. Instead, one after another came the withdrawals, first at the Cincinnati Masters (9 August), then at the US Open (21 August) until arriving at the no at the Shanghai tournament on 3 October which was followed by the announcement on 6 October in which Sinner explained that his season was over. No ATP Finals in Turin and goal of returning to Australiaall after a consultation with a surgeon specialized in knee operations at the Hopital Privè Jean Mermoz in Lyon. No operation but conservative therapy and no certainty about recovery times. Hypothesizing injuries to tennis players of this era is always difficult, as demonstrated by the case of Carlos Alcaraz forced to stop for almost 5 months (106 days) due to wrist problems.
Nadal’s example
There is a precedent that gives Sinner hope. In 2012 Rafa Nadal had a knee problem. He was supposed to return for the Masters at the end of the year in London, but it was not possible. Then he thought about Doha and couldn’t make it there either. In the end he also missed the Australian Open. Yet in 2013 he finished the year as world number one. At first he struggled a little. Then in Acapulco he already played very well and also won Indian Wells. From that moment everything changed, but the important thing is to start again. His former coach Toni Nadal he explained to Gazzetta dello Sport: “At the beginning you inevitably have a negative vision, because you know how hard it is not to compete. You see your rivals playing well, you would like to be there and instead you’re not. Then, with the right mentality, you can overcome everything. In any case, tennis should change something because it is not possible for the best players in the world to get injured simply by playing tennis. You can get injured if you take a blow or fall. Hard pitches and the speed of the ball mean that you get hurt much more, because the impact on the body is continuous. Sinner is a player who stands very low on his legs, he flexes them a lot. When you run so much, with every braking there is a continuous impact that eventually wears you out. When you play at this speed there is always some sudden movement and injuries happen like that. I say it’s time to slow down, perhaps using smaller rackets that prevent you from hitting so hard.”
Prudence
In the phrase uttered by Sinner after the announcement that the season was over there is a look to the future. “I have to think about my long-term career” he said. Here’s the point: Sinner is rightly not interested in returning quickly, what matters is that when he does his knee is healed and he can quickly find the best condition and return to being number one in the world. Sinner has recently turned 25 and now he only has to worry about healing. The path includes physiotherapy and training as indicated by Professor Bertrand Sonnery-Cottet, the specialist from Lyon who subjected him to the PRP treatment which must act on his knee. In a in a couple of weeks it should be understood whether the date of return to Australia is compatible with Jannik’s conditions or whether it will still take time on January 13th at the One Point Slam, the show event in Melbourne that brings together professionals, qualified amateurs and wildcards.
