At Roland Garros, Sinner walks on eggshells: "I'm not in perfect physical shape".
Jannik Sinner, who makes his French Open debut this Monday against 46th-ranked Christopher Eubanks, was less than reassuring in a press conference.
As a reminder, the Italian has long been in doubt. After suffering a hip injury, he was forced to pull out of the Rome Masters 1000. Having only recently returned to the racket, Sinner was only certain of lining up a few days ago. This choice is not necessarily a sign of a fully recovered physical condition, as the winner of the last Australian Open will be suffering from a certain lack of rhythm.
In all sincerity, this is what the world number 2 explained to the press: "I'm no longer worried about my hip. The latest tests were very positive, which is why I'm here. I said I'd only come here if my hip recovered. I'm not in perfect physical shape, because I stopped playing tennis for almost 2 weeks, which is a long time before a Grand Slam.
We'll take it one day at a time. I'll have a different approach to the tournament than in the past. I hope I'll get through the first round and that will help me find my rhythm. The most important thing will be the mental aspect. I need to be mentally ready to accept what's going to happen on the court."