Jannik Sinner withdrew from the 2024 Madrid Open quarter-final showdown against Felix Auger-Aliassime, and he explained why.
The Italian was cruising through the draw in line with his top-seed status but, unfortunately, experienced hip pain against Pavel Kotov. Finishing that match in two sets was ideal at that time because he didn’t know what was going on.
He took it day by day and stepped up to play Karen Khachanov in the next match. It was a win for him, but it took him three sets which wasn’t ideal considering his physical status.
A hip injury isn’t something that gets better the more a player plays, so everybody was waiting to see what would happen next, with the Italian possibly hinting at pulling out of the event.
One day before his match against Felix Auger-Aliassime, Sinner withdrew from the tournament and, in an update on social media, explained that his hip had been bothering him this week and was getting worse. The pain worsened with every day, and upon the advice of doctors, Sinner gave up playing the match.
“Very sad to have to withdraw from my next match here in Madrid. My hip has been bothering me this week and has slowly been getting more painful. Taking the advice from the doctors we decided it’s best to not play further and make it worse.”
He also explained that he will undergo tests and see what the doctors tell him. He hinted at following their advice, so his chances of playing the Italian Open in Rome look rather bleak right now.
Of course, the 22-year-old will still want to prioritize the French Open at the Roland Garros, even though the Italian Open in Rome is his home ATP Masters 1000 tournament.
“I’ll be doing some more tests in the coming days and follow the advice from the specialists on recovery. Thank you guys for all your support.”
