Former world number one Andy Roddick believes that one reason Italy’s young tennis star Jannik Sinner was defeated in the semifinal of the French Open was his fitness concerns.
The 22-year-old, along with Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, is often regarded as one of the most highly-rated players currently playing in men’s tennis in the singles category.
Sinner recently participated in the French Open, where he lost in the semifinal to current world number two Alcaraz in a five-set thriller, with a score of 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
During the contest, the soon-to-be world number one received medical treatment for his hip. Because of a similar injury, Sinner was also ruled out of the Rome Open, which was his hope tournament.
Former world number one Roddick posted on his official account on the social media platform X—previously known as Twitter—suggesting that one of the reasons Sinner ended up on the losing side was a fitness concern.
Jannik Sinner suffered a defeat in the semifinal of the French Open to Carlos Alcaraz.
"Something to acknowledge w Sinner struggling a bit.
Both injured coming in. One w a forearm which means he can still get legwork
in. Sinner game time decision coming into RG. Tough to imagine he was able to
put in the normal legwork when dealing w a hip issue. Not all injuries act the
same," he wrote.
Interestingly, a user commented that Sinner was probably faking the injury as he was having difficulty facing Alcaraz. The comment, understandably, did not go down well with Roddick, who wrote: "Why
would he do that when leading? He pulled out of his home tournament coming into
RG…. Why is yours a suggestion that makes any sense?"
Sinner, despite the defeat, is having a fabulous season. It
was only his third defeat of the season, and because of this, he is set to overtake Serbia’s Novak Djokovic when the rankings are updated after
the French Open.
Azeem Siddiqui is a seasoned sports journalist and data analyst with a strong background in both digital media and live sports production.
He began his journalism career working with partners of The New York Times and has since contributed to several leading international sports publications, including Fox Sports Asia, Calciomercato, and GiveMeSport. Since 2023, Azeem has been part of the TennisUpToDate team, where he has played a key role in sustaining the platform’s growth and ensuring tennis fans receive timely and reliable coverage of the sport’s biggest stories.
In addition to his editorial work, Azeem has extensive experience as a data analyst in live sports broadcasting—particularly in cricket—where he combines analytical precision with creative storytelling. He has collaborated with multiple production companies and cricket boards worldwide, delivering real-time insights and data-driven narratives during live match coverage.