Confirmed: Sinner will decide this Thursday whether to travel to Shanghai
According to sources from Italy, the world number 1 and his team will decide tomorrow if his knee has recovered in time to return for the penultimate Masters 1000 of the year.
Jannik Sinner is in the final stages of his recovery from the injury to his right knee that he has been dealing with since winning at Wimbledon. The Italian tennis player has missed the entire North American tour, including the US Open, and part of the Asian tour, but reports from Italy indicate that he will make a definitive decision tomorrow regarding his travel to Shanghai to compete in the penultimate Masters 1000 of the season.
Sky Sports has confirmed that tomorrow is the day marked on the calendar by Sinner and his team to make a definitive decision. Until now, there has been a lot of secrecy surrounding the injury, and every time it seemed his return was near, it would be postponed again. There are still no updates on whether he will play at 100% in Shanghai from October 5 to 18. If he feels fit, he will travel with his team, but if they sense any risk, they will be cautious and wait for the European tour that will determine the end of the season.
What initially seemed like a minor injury has ended up keeping him out of the circuit for more than two months, depriving him of playing in the last Grand Slam of the year. However, reports from Italy suggest his recent training sessions in Monte Carlo have been quite positive, and the injury seems to be overcome. That said, to return to the circuit, he first needs to undergo conditioning and increase the intensity of his training, which is why they decided they were not ready to play in Beijing.
Zverev threatens Sinner's number 1
Sinner has recovered from the inflammation of the extra-articular tendon of his right knee, and after a period of rest and treatment at J Medical in Turin, his rehabilitation and on-court training program has proceeded without setbacks so far. The decision to withdraw from the US Open and the ATP in Beijing was made to minimize any risk, but they are already thinking about his return to prevent Alexander Zverev from closing the gap and threatening to take the world number 1 from Sinner.
'Sascha' has won the US Open, and as of today, he is the number 1 in the Race to Turin. Additionally, if he wins in ATP Beijing, he would arrive in Shanghai with a chance to dethrone Sinner as ATP champion, something the Italian is not keen to experience. Last year, Jannik had to withdraw in the third round of this tournament, so he has few points to defend, making it a good time to return and make a statement, although he will proceed cautiously in the early matches considering where he comes from.
The most positive aspect is that for the first time, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Alexander Zverev will be able to compete in the same tournament, something that hasn’t happened since the Masters 1000 in Monte Carlo. It has been a season marked by injuries for the Spaniard and the Italian, where the German has been the major beneficiary, but now the three will be able to fight head-to-head to see who takes the big titles on the circuit.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Confirmado: Sinner decidirá este jueves si viaja a Shanghái