NEW DELHI: Italian tennis player
Jannik Sinner
has announced that his hip injury has recovered in time for the
French Open
, though he admits his preparation has been less than ideal.
Sinner, who has a chance to become the new world number one in the next two weeks, had withdrawn before his quarter-final match at the
Madrid Open
and skipped the
Rome Masters
altogether.
The Australian Open champion had previously stated that he would not jeopardize his long-term fitness by playing at Roland Garros unless he was fully recovered. Nonetheless, he is set to participate in the tournament.
"I mean, I'm not concerned anymore about my hip. The last tests we made, they were very positive. That's why I'm here," the 22-year-old world number two said on Friday.
"I said I come only here if the hip, it's in a good shape. The general physical shape is not perfect. I didn't play tennis for nearly three weeks, which is quite a lot before a Grand Slam. But look, I'll try to play day by day.
"This is a little bit different approach of a tournament than it used to be. But hopefully getting through the first round can help me a little bit find my rhythm."
Sinner said he has been practising and playing points for the past three days and was feeling "better and better".
He will play American
Christopher Eubanks
in the opening round on Sunday.
(With Reuters inputs)
English (US) ·