There are mounting fears that Jannik Sinner will not compete at this year's Olympics after he was forced to postpone his trip to Paris.
The 2024 Paris Olympics tennis tournament will begin on Saturday, July 27th. Sinner, who appears on the men's entry list, is expected to play in singles and doubles at the event, which will be his first-ever participation at the Games.
The 22-year-old will be a massive favorite in both tournaments after a career-best season on the ATP Tour. Sinner fulfilled his dream of becoming a Grand Slam champion at this year's Australian Open and became the first Italian, male or female, to ascend to World No. 1.
And on the back of his maiden semifinal run at Roland Garros, where he lost eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz to five sets, Sinner has emerged as Italy's best bet to win a tennis medal at this year's Olympics since the tournament will be held at the same venue and surface as the clay major.
However, according to a report by the Italian news agency ANSA, Sinner has changed his original travel arrangement because of illness. Several athletes, including those from Italy, have already arrived in Paris to familiarize themselves with the accommodation and protocols.
Sinner was scheduled to travel today (Tuesday) but has been forced to delay his journey until Thursday, the day of the draw, because of his reported case of fever.
It is highly unlikely that this is a recurrence of the same issue that caused him to be under the weather in his quarterfinal defeat to Daniil Medvedev at this year's Wimbledon Championships. He struggled to compete physically, and his level fluctuated for the entire match.
Sinner had been on vacation with his girlfriend and WTA player Anna Kalinskaya in Sardegna, Italy, shortly after his campaign at the All England Club ended. He could not avoid the paparazzi shots that have since hit the internet. He appeared to be in fine spirits.
Like many top players, he chose not to compete at any ATP-level tournaments in the two weeks leading to the Olympics. Instead, Sinner opted for rest and recovery from any niggling injuries.
The reported fever is a massive setback in Sinner's preparation for his first Olympics. If he flies to France on Thursday as planned, he will only have one full day of training, depending on how he feels, as first-round matches are scheduled to begin on Saturday.
And it would be a disappointment not just for himself but also for his country if he missed the tournament. He was heavily criticized because of his decision to skip the Games in Tokyo three years ago. This year, he was looking to atone for that, and in a big way.
Obviously, Sinner has earned the respect and admiration of those who criticized him in the past, including former ATP player Adriano Panatta, after steering his country to their first Davis Cup success in almost half a century last season and winning his first major this year.