Jannik Sinner won't be with the Italian team in Bologna, where his country will aim to secure their spot in the 2024 Davis Cup Finals knock-out stage in Malaga.
Last year’s Davis Cup event cemented Sinner as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, Italian players in history. He led his country to their second Davis Cup trophy and the first one since 1976.
The Italian was a hero, securing crucial points in all ties and proving himself to be the most valuable player of the event. Defending that trophy will be tricky, but less so if the country books its place in Malaga and Sinner signs up to play.
Both are very likely because Italy has a strong roster for the group stage in Bologna, even though Sinner won't compete this time. He remains very willing to play for his country, as he has repeatedly confirmed.
In the pre-event press conference, team captain Filippo Volandri explained that it was a joint decision not to have Sinner there after discussions with all parties involved. Volandri wanted to have the full team available ahead of the first tie, which wouldn’t be possible if Sinner were part of it.
Sinner expressed his willingness to play but wouldn’t have been available until the final tie, which wasn’t ideal for Volandri. Having him would certainly boost their chances, but hosting other nations and having players like Matteo Berrettini and Matteo Arnaldi should be enough.
Asked to comment on the matter after winning the US Open, as the nominations had already been announced, Sinner simply said that it didn’t make much sense to play because he wouldn’t be at 100%, which is true.
Having just finished the US Open, he would have arrived quite fatigued, which wouldn't benefit anyone, and his young rival Carlos Alcaraz could certainly speak about that, as he had a similar experience two years ago after winning the US Open.
"It didn't make sense to play Davis because I wouldn't have been 100%. I would have been very happy to be in Bologna."
It's not entirely impossible that Sinner will show up in Bologna to lend his support to his team, but he's more likely to take his time to rest up with family and friends. That's what he wrote on social media after beating Taylor Fritz and securing his second Grand Slam trophy at the US Open.
"Thank you New York! Incredibly special to win my second slam title here after a great two weeks. Thank you for all the support, it means so much."
"I love this sport and it means everything to me, time to enjoy this moment with my team and my family before we get back to work for the end of the year. The work never stops, we keep pushing."
Although he won't be in Bologna as a player this time around, the Italian is very likely to be in Malaga if Italy secures their spot there, competing in the knock-out stages from November 19th to 24th.
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