President of Italian Tennis ‘seriously worried’ about Jannik Sinner fitness ahead of French Open

Angelo Binaghi feared Jannik Sinner’s Rome withdrawal after Madrid Open warning signs

Eurosport published Angelo Binaghi’s comments on the anxiety around Jannik Sinner’s condition before the Italian Open.

Binaghi said, “I was terrified, also because immediately after the Madrid final his manager called me, who normally calls me once every two years only when there are problems and Jannik can’t play.

“I was in Cagliari during the Cagliari tournament. I answered after half an hour. I spoke to Berrettini first.”

He added, “In reality, I thought the call was a joke, because he only told me that he was asking to play on Saturday instead of Friday. I told him, ‘Look, I’ll let you play even on the moon as long as you come to Rome.'”

The relief was understandable because Sinner’s presence in Rome carried massive sporting and emotional weight for Italian tennis.

He eventually played, survived the physical doubts, and went on to win the Italian Open, becoming the first Italian man in 50 years to lift the Rome title.

Jannik Sinner’s fitness concern grows after Andrey Rublev and Daniil Medvedev’s battles before the French Open

Binaghi’s concern did not disappear once Sinner entered the tournament, as the warning signs returned during the later rounds.

He continued, “We were seriously worried about his physical condition. We saw problems both at the end of the match with Rublev, and especially in the match with Medvedev.”

“I think that in this last match Jannik showed energy that perhaps he didn’t even know he had, but this is what great champions do, who are not normal people and who have a suffering threshold, a limit that is different from what we normal people have,” Binaghi concluded.

Sinner beat Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals, but his movement and body language raised concern late in that match. The semifinal against Daniil Medvedev became even more draining. Sinner needed treatment during a tense three-set battle that was stretched by rain and finished the next day.

That is why the French Open question remains important even after his Rome title. Sinner is in brilliant form, but best-of-five tennis at Roland Garros will test whether his body has fully recovered from a brutal clay run.