“I’m not afraid” – Jannik Sinner squashes hip injury concerns ahead of Cincinnati Open

World No.1 Jannik Sinner has squashed any hip injury concerns ahead of his Cincinnati Open campaign. Sinner recently became the first player to confirm his qualification for the 2024 Nitto ATP Finals. The youngster has been in good form in the ongoing season, winning the Australian Open and making deeper runs at Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

Sinner is looking forward to getting back on the court and playing fearlessly in the Cincinnati Open. The youngster suffered a quarterfinal loss against Andrey Rublev in the Canadian Open.

“I feel quite good. Obviously, I made nearly one week without practicing before and then after playing for two, three days in a row, a bit more than usual, [that] could [have had] a potential impact to the hip,” Jannik Sinner said in the press conference.

“But I’m not afraid. I feel good with the hip, and I’m just looking forward to go back on court here,” he added.

The Italian, who didn’t take part in the recently concluded Paris Olympics, said a good run in the Cincinnati Open will hold him in good stead for the US Open.

“Here usually I struggle a little bit to play because of the conditions, but I’m looking forward to see my reaction this year, because it’s a great test for me,” Jannik Sinner said.

“I believe that this tournament can give you a lot of confidence then for the US Open, which is the last Grand Slam we have throughout the year. So in my mind, this is a very important tournament,” he added.

The youngster received a bye in the first round of the Cincinnati Open 2023 but suffered a straight-set loss against Dusan Lajovic in the second round. 

Sinner will face USA’s Alex Michelsen in the second round on Wednesday after once again receiving a bye as a top-seed.