Le fait de n’avoir disputé aucun tournoi sur les courts durs nord-américains avant l’US Open pourrait-il affecter la condition physique de Jannik Sinner ?
Pour Greg Rusedski, ancien quatrième joueur mondial, il ne sera pas facile pour l’Italien de produire son meilleur tennis à New York. Le Britannique estime que son problème au genou pourrait être plus sérieux qu’on ne le pense, puisqu’il l’a déjà contraint à renoncer aux Masters 1000 de Montréal et de Cincinnati.
"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?", a-t-il déclaré dans le dernier épisode de son podcast Off Court.
Sinner a renoncé à Montréal et 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," a-t-il poursuivi.
Il a également ajouté : "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," a expliqué 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."