Könnte es Jannik Sinner körperlich schaden, dass er vor den US Open kein einziges Turnier auf nordamerikanischem Hartplatz bestreitet?
Greg Rusedski, die ehemalige Nummer vier der Welt, glaubt, dass es für den Italiener in New York nicht leicht werden wird, sein bestes Tennis zu zeigen. Der Brite vermutet, dass die Knieprobleme schwerwiegender sein könnten als bislang angenommen – schließlich haben sie Sinner bereits dazu gezwungen, die Masters-1000-Turniere in Montreal und Cincinnati auszulassen.
"It's worrying, because he usually always plays a preparation tournament. Everyone plays in Cincinnati, then takes a week off and prepares for New York. So, evidently, the knee problem is more serious than we think. Skipping Cincinnati means he will have to fly to New York in the week leading up to the US Open. If he does not arrive there, let's say by Monday at the latest, doubts will begin to arise: will he play or not?", sagte Rusedski in der neuesten Folge seines Podcasts „Off Court“.
Sinner verpasst Montreal und Cincinnati
"And if Carlos Alcaraz and Sinner don't play the US Open, the tournament would be completely open. Novak Djokovic might think: 'Maybe this is my chance to win the 25th Slam'. While Alexander Zverev might think, 'Maybe I can win my second Major.' And I have to say that Ben Shelton was the most convincing American in Canada and won the title without losing a set. So, in the absence of the two big favorites, the two names that would immediately come to mind are Djokovic and Zverev. And it would be a really big blow to the last Major of the season," führte er aus.
Außerdem sagte er: "New York is a whole different story. Very few players have arrived in New York without having played at least a week and a prep tournament before winning the US Open. This year Sinner was beatable outside the Masters 1000," erklärte Rusedski. "He lost in Australia to Novak, when he was clearly the best player, but he failed to convert the chances. Novak showed us once again why he is so great. And then, of course, in Paris there was all that talk about heat management. And normally in New York the heat is one of the main factors. So it will be interesting to see what happens. Somehow he reacted by winning Wimbledon, but the temperatures were far from those that can be reached in New York. That said, the tournament can protect him, because he can schedule it in the evening sessions."