Sinner says hip not a factor in defeat but “taking care of body is the main priority”

The Italian missed Rome because of the injury but it held up well in a tense encounter, which he lost in five sets

Federico Pestellini / Panoramic

June 7, 2024

Jannik Sinner said the hip injury that affected his preparation for Roland-Garros was not a factor in his defeat by Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals on Friday.

After a bruising four-hour, nine-minute battle, during which he overcame some nasty cramps in both hands and arms, Sinner said he was happy with his efforts, having withdrawn during the Madrid Masters and then missed Rome because of the injury.

“The hip was OK,” he said. “The more the match goes on, the right hip doesn’t have the strength of the left hip, it’s normal at this moment,” he said. “So sometimes I feel a little bit, especially after two-and-a-half hours and until the four hours, but this is no excuse. I was moving good. I was feeling quite good on the court. So I’m not anymore worried about the hip.

“Thinking back, before the tournament reaching this point, I’m obviously very happy. In the other way, I’m disappointed about the match today. Just disappointed about how it went today. Just have to accept it.”

Despite being a break down and visibly struggling with what seems to be cramp… Jannik Sinner wins the third set.

He leads Carlos Alcaraz 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.

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— The Tennis Podcast (@TennisPodcast) June 7, 2024

“For sure I’m going to rest the body a little bit”

After reaching the semi-finals at Roland-Garros for the first time, the Italian said he would need to take care as he transitions from clay to grass.

“We have to talk about this with the team,” he said. “I will work on the physical stuff, for sure. Maybe couple of days off. Then physical stuff.

“For sure I’m going to rest the body a little bit, because from doing nothing for nearly three weeks to reaching a point of playing four hours, I could have never expect that. So that’s positive for me. Now it’s resting and taking care of the body, for sure, is the main priority. And then trying to be ready for the grass season.”

Cramps a bigger issue, but he handled them well

His most worrying moments didn’t concern the hip; rather, he began suffering from hand cramps. Eerily reminiscent of the problems suffered by Carlos Alcaraz in the semis against Novak Djokovic last year, he had a rub down on his thighs from the trainer at the change of ends, but he overcame it quickly as he won the third set.

“I was, for sure, (suffering from) some tension,” he said. “Tension and after, cramps a little bit. I handled these situations a little bit better now. I had previous years a couple of these kind of moments where I couldn’t handle them.

“If we watch that, I handled them a little bit better (today). It was quite early in the match. We didn’t play so much, so I was not worried about my body. Was keeping up quite well.”

Wimbledon next on the agenda

Sinner said he was looking forward to grass, having reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon last year.

“Grass season is different,” he said. “The preparation is different. You use different muscles. Let’s see how I play in Halle. Obviously Halle is completely different than Wimbledon, but it’s still grass.

“I’m looking forward to it. I mean, last year I had a great Wimbledon, so let’s see what I can do this year. I’m happy to come back and then we see how it goes.”