Is Jannik Sinner's injury more serious than initially thought? "It's worrying"

The US Open is approaching, but the two biggest stars of men's tennis have yet to take to the hard courts during the North American swing. Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have withdrawn from both the Canada and Cincinnati tournaments, and now there are question marks surrounding their fitness ahead of the final Grand Slam of the year.

Alcaraz, who has not played since April due to a wrist injury, had hoped to return in Cincinnati but decided to withdraw from the tournament to extend his recovery period. Sinner's condition is also causing concern. The world number one was supposed to participate in the Masters 1000 tournament, but it turned out he is dealing with a new knee injury, which led to his withdrawal.

Former British player Greg Rusedski admitted he is worried about the Italian's condition:

"It's worrying, because he always plays in a warm-up tournament. Everyone usually plays in Cincinnati, gets a week off, and then prepares for New York."

According to him, the fact that Sinner also missed Cincinnati may indicate that the injury is more serious than it initially seemed. "If he doesn't arrive in New York by the Monday before the tournament at the latest, there will be question marks. Will he play? And if both Alcaraz and Sinner don't play in the US Open, the field will be wide open."

Rusedski identified some of the players who might benefit from the potential absence of the two. "Djokovic will think that maybe this is his chance to reach 25 Grand Slams. Zverev will think that maybe he can win his second major. And Ben Shelton was the most impressive American in Canada." When asked who would be the favorite in such a case, he replied: "It has to be Zverev, just because he has already won a major this year. Cincinnati and the next two weeks will be very significant. Whoever wins there, reaches the final, or makes a deep run, will think this is their chance."

Djokovic himself will return to action in Cincinnati after a period in which he dedicated much time to his family. The 39-year-old Serbian, holder of 24 Grand Slam titles, last played at Wimbledon, where he lost to Sinner in the semifinals. Yesterday he said that his way of preparing for tournaments has changed over the years:

"It has changed. It depends on the rhythm of family life and things that come up and require my time and attention. The family has done that for me throughout the years. It's no longer as simple as it was for most of my career, when everything revolved around me. It's not like that anymore, and I like it, because I also need to step out of that role."

The Serbian explained that he is currently trying to balance his career with his other roles in life: "I am trying to balance the roles of a professional tennis player, father, husband, son, and brother. I am trying to be the best I can be in each of these roles. It requires time and energy and it is still a process."