Disappointed: Jannik Sinner © ANSA / ETTORE FERRARI

“I didn’t feel good”: The Sinner sting runs deep

Jannik Sinner suffered the most painful defeat of the season at the home tournament in Rome. The 21-year-old lost in the round of XNUMX against an unleashed Francisco Cerundolo. At the press conference after the match you could see his disappointment.

17 May 2023

From: leo

It didn't happen: Jannik Sinner, who many in Rome believed would win the title, found his master in Francisco Cerundolo on Tuesday. There is no question that the Argentine showed outstanding tennis. However, it is also true that South Tyrol's athlete of the year was not in full possession of his strength. He confirmed this after the match. “I think I'm well trained, but there are days when you don't feel well. It's a shame it happened in Rome. We will try to understand what was going on,” Sinner said.

This is not the first time that Sinner's body has gone on strike this season. He had to miss the tournament in Marseille due to illness, and he wasn't at 100 percent in the final in Miami either. In Barcelona, ​​Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi's protégé withdrew before the quarter-finals - also due to feeling unwell. The next chapter now followed in Rome. A disturbing series that the Sinner team must get under control as quickly as possible. “Today I gave it my all, but didn’t play the way I wanted. It was a hard day.” The tournament in Rome was extremely important to Sinner, which makes the early exit all the more disappointing.

Lack of consistency

Sinner has a clear opinion about the match. “I wanted to move him more. But if I did that, I lost the point. I felt like he had more control from the baseline than I did. I thought in the first sentence that I couldn't continue like this. It was strange. There were some points where I felt the ball well and others where I didn't. I wasn't as consistent as I usually am. I served very well in the first set, but then my service dropped,” emphasizes Sinner, who praises Cerundolo. “He played a very good match and controlled a lot with his forehand.”

Francisco Cerundolo pulled Sinner's tooth. © APA/afp / ANDREAS SOLARO

Sinner now begins preparations for the French Open in Paris, which begins on May 28th. He will complete this with Cahill and Vagnozzi, who fell ill in Rome (he was not in Sinner's box on Tuesday). Sinner is seeded number 8 in Roland Garros. That is already certain.