Jannik Sinner's presence has been missed at the Olympics, but fans in Montreal will have the chance to watch his return to the sport when the event starts next week.
The Italian will be excited about returning to the Canadian Open. Held in Toronto last year, Sinner stormed to his maiden ATP Masters-1000 title. In the final, he crushed Alex de Minaur 6-4, 6-1.
That success seemed to inspire a terrific end to the season for Sinner. He beat Daniil Medvedev for the first time in the final of the ATP-500 event in Beijing by claiming two very tight sets, 7-6, 7-6.
After triumphing over Medvedev again to win the Vienna title, Sinner reached the final of the ATP World Tour finals on home soil in Turin. Despite overcoming Novak Djokovic in the group stage, the Serbian proved too strong in the final.
Sinner got his revenge in the Davis Cup finals, saving match points to beat Djokovic and Team Serbia, before eventually leading his country to a historic title win in Spain.
The 23-year-old used that momentum to claim the biggest title of his career at this year's Australian Open. He staged an incredible comeback from two sets down in the final against Medvedev to reign supreme in Melbourne and win his first Grand Slam title.
Sinner secured another Masters-1000 title in Miami in March, but he has not won another title since then. He also suffered two tough five-set losses to Carlos Alcaraz at the French Open and Daniil Medvedev at Wimbledon.
He has not played since losing to Medvedev at Wimbledon after withdrawing from the Olympics with an illness. Sinner announced he picked up tonsillitis while practicing for the event in Paris and was unable to recover in time.
Sinner's success at the Davis Cup showed how much playing for his country means to him. Therefore, missing out on playing at the Olympics undoubtedly hurt the Italian. His powerful brand of tennis was also missed at the event.
However, the problem not being a long-term one is positive. The Canadian Open's X page confirmed Sinner's involvement at the tournament by showing a picture of him practicing and the message "FORZA SINNER."
The organizers will be relieved that Sinner is playing in Montreal. However, several ATP and WTA players could withdraw from the tournament because it comes so soon after the Olympics, which is being played on a different surface.
An early example of this was Djokovic's withdrawal from the Canadian Open. Although his decision could have been influenced by the quick turnaround after the Olympics, Djokovic has not played at the event in Canada since 2018.
Hopefully, there will be a strong final lineup at the Canadian Open. Masters-1000 tournaments are prestigious events in their own right and offer great preparation for Grand Slams. Sinner's ability to practice earlier than many of his rivals in Montreal could give him a slight advantage.
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