Jannik Sinner will not travel to Paris. © ANSA / NEIL HALL

Shock for South Tyrol: Sinner cancels Olympics

Jannik Sinner has surprisingly cancelled his participation in the Olympic Games in Paris. Due to an illness that forces him to rest, the Sexten native cannot compete.

July 24, 2024

From: do

On Tuesday, Jannik Sinner gave his fans another frightwhen the 22-year-old did not travel to Paris to prepare for the Olympic tennis tournament. He had a fever, but the situation did not seem dramatic. Now South Tyrol's greatest medal hope has shocked his fans: Sinner has announced his withdrawal from the Olympic Games in Paris. In a message on social media, Sinner explained the reasons for his decision and expressed his great disappointment.

"I am very sorry to have to tell you that I will unfortunately not be able to take part in the Olympic Games in Paris. After a good week of training on clay, I started to feel unwell. I took a few days off and a visit to the doctor diagnosed me with tonsillitis. The doctor strongly advised me not to play," said Sinner.

Sinner's doubles partner Lorenzo Musetti is also affected by the news. © APA/afp / VALERY HACHE

The loss of the opportunity to compete in the Olympic Games is particularly painful for Sinner, as he had so much planned for the major event in Paris: "Missing the Games is a huge disappointment as it was one of my main goals for this season. I was really looking forward to having the honour of representing my country at this very important event," he continued.

Support as a fan

Despite his absence, Sinner will support his Italian colleagues from home. "A big 'In bocca al lupo' to all the Italian athletes that I will support from home," Sinner concluded his message.

This unexpected turn of events means that South Tyrol and Italy will have to do without one of their most talented players at the Olympic Games - the Sextner was seeded number 1 at the tennis tournament. Sinner did not compete at the Olympics in Tokyo in 2021 and had to endure criticism for doing so. This time, however, there was a medical reason for the tennis star's cancellation.

Sinner will now be replaced at the Olympics by Andrea Vavassori, who will also compete in the doubles and will share the court with Simone Bolelli.