Jannik Sinner has insisted he is not prepared to risk his health after appearing to be bothered by a hip issue during his semi-final win over Alexander Zverev at the Cincinnati Masters.
The world No.1 beat his German rival 7-6(9), 5-7, 7-6(4), in a thrilling encounter that lasted more than three hours. Sinner was broken three times during the first two sets before ousting Zverev in the tiebreaker by converting his second match point. Overall, he hit a total of 37 winners against 22 unforced errors.
“It was high quality, I think we both served very well in important moments,” Sinner said afterward during his press conference.
“I tried to stay there mentally. I was a break down in the first (set), a break in the second, and then trying to break back somehow.
“He is an incredible server. He has played very aggressively, especially from the backhand side. So I tried to read his game a little bit, which is very tough against him and tried to use these small chances I had. I played a bit with the gut feeling I had, trying to go for shots.”
In recent days Sinner has shown signs of discomfort with his hip region, which is an area that has bothered him throughout the season. Against Zverev he was seen limping at times and looked bothered by his hip before going on to seal victory.
Nevertheless, the Italian has stated he has no serious concerns and would never jeopardize his health ahead of the US Open, which will start next Monday. It is the only Grand Slam where he has yet to reach the semi-final stage.
“I will not risk (his health) before the US Open or other bigger tournaments. For sure sometimes I feel it (his hip). I have to understand what exactly it is at the moment because I feel like it’s a different small issue than it was before.” Sinner explained.
“I have to check after this tournament. I was ill for one weekish, then I went to Montreal and played two matches in one day. I haven’t had so much time to recover from those two matches before coming here (to Cincinnati).
“I’m not worried yet, so I’m happy to play. That’s the most important. I have six good days (before the US Open) trying to recover and also work on it. So I’m not concerned.”
The next test for Sinner will be Frances Tiafoe who will be playing in his first Masters 100 final at the age of 26. Tiafoe, who is unseeded in the draw, battled back from a 2-5 deficit in the final set to beat Holger Rune 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(4). The breakthrough run comes shortly after the American began working with coach David Witt who has previously mentored the likes of Jessica Pegula and Venus Williams.
“Frances, he’s playing very good and showing great tennis in the last months,” Sinner commented.
“He has found himself much better on the court. He’s a great mover and has a huge serve. It’s gonna be tough to play against him.”
The Cincinnati final will take place on Monday. Sinner is the first Italian to reach the title match in the tournaments history.
