The signs are positive for the defending US Open champion Jannik Sinner as he looks to recover in time to be at his best for Flushing Meadows.
Sinner’s US Open preparations were thrown off course when he was forced to pull out of Monday’s Cincinnati Masters final against Carlos Alcaraz due to illness.
An emotional Sinner apologised to fans in Cincinnati as he was forced to abandon the latest instalment of his rivalry with Alcaraz after just five games of the final.
Unsurprisingly, he was then forced to pull out of the US Open mixed doubles event that got underway the following day, with partner Katerina Siniakova also denied the chance to take part in the new-look event as a result.
Yet the presence of Alexander Zverev on court in New York for the mixed doubles may be a positive sign for Sinner.
Zverev was also struggling with a virus as he was beaten by Alcaraz in the Cincinnati semi-finals, amid suggestions that a bug may have been going around the locker room in Cincinnati.
If Sinner and Zverev was struck down by the same bug, the sight of the German back on court as he played alongside Belinda Bencic in New York on Tuesday suggests recovery time from the virus is relatively brief.
Sinner suggested he needed a couple of days of rest after his Cincinnati withdrawal, as he believed he would be fit and ready to defend his title at the US Open.
A fully fit Sinner will be the favourite to win again in New York on his favoured hard courts, with former world No. 1 Mats Wilander suggesting the Italian is playing at a level that is hard to stop when he is at his best.
“He will have a few days to recover from the illness he had in Cincinnati, but the early rounds might be where he is vulnerable if he is not at his best,” said Wilander, as he prepared to join the Eurosport commentary team at the US Open.
“Jannik is just incredible on hard courts. His movement, his ability to move to every ball and strike it so hard makes him hard to stop on this surface.
“I have never seen anyone hit the ball harder than Jannik, but he has a rival in Carlos Alcaraz who is also an incredible mover and can take him out of his stride.
“I would expect to see those two in the final again at this US Open and for me, that would not be boring, just because we have seen them play in the last two Grand Slam finals.
“Instead, I look at it with excitement because we can look forward to another amazing match between these two champions.”
World No. 1 Sinner has yet to make an appearance at Flushing Meadows, but he should have time to recover from his bug ahead of the start of the tournament on Sunday.
