Sinner Tight-Lipped On How Davis Cup Absence Helped Him In Asia

Friday, 06 October 2023 at 17:45

byNurein Ahmed

Jannik Sinner refrained from answering a question on whether his absence from the Davis Cup qualifiers last month aided his preparation for the Asian swing.

Sinner defied the odds and sickness to win the China Open this week, beating Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev, the top two seeds in Beijing, in back-to-back matches to win the ATP 500 title. It was the third title of his career-best season and couldn't have arrived at an opportune time.

The 22-year-old is seeking to qualify for the ATP Finals for the first time, which will be held in his home country. Sinner is just a few points from the cut-off mark and should be heavily favored to book his spot in the 12-day event in Shanghai at the earliest.

But Sinner had to make some sacrifices to overcome his physical struggles in the long term. One of them was to withdraw from the Davis Cup group stage qualifiers this past month in Bologna, for which he faced severe criticism from Italian tennis legend Adriano Panatta.

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Sinner's absence didn't affect Italy's progress as rising star Matteo Arnaldi and Lorenzo Sonego stepped up to the plate to guide the 1976 champion into the Final 8. Sinner has since shared his thoughts after his title success in Beijing in an interview with Italian tabloid Corriere della Sera.

Overall, he was happy with his training routine in the aftermath of a disappointing US Open exit at the hands of Alexander Zverev, and the title win in China was a reflection of his efforts. But he was tight-lipped on whether his withdrawal from the Davis Cup contributed to such a turnaround after struggling physically in New York.

"I don't know if I want to talk about that, but... yes, I am very happy with how I trained after the US Open. You all don't see the effort, but it's there: very long days, between the court and the gym... I only feel good if I'm completely exhausted in the end, because it means I trained the right way. Winning a tournament doesn't change your life, but it validates what you do."