Who would have imagined Italian tennis would rise to such remarkable heights? Yet, Jannik Sinner has done just that for his country. From becoming the first Italian to reach World No. 1 since the computerized ranking system began in 1973 to inspire a new generation of budding players, Sinner has truly proved his mettle. But even a world-class player like Sinner isn’t immune to the challenges that come with the spotlight. Despite his incredible achievements, he’s had his fair share of ups and downs. Right now, all he desires is to get back to his winning form, the form that took him to the top and made him a household name in Italy and beyond.

 The Italian dynamo is all set to begin his campaign at the Cincinnati Masters on Wednesday. But the star player has been short of the ideal performances that he is known for. He faced a surprising defeat to Andrey Rublev in the recently concluded Canadian Open after facing a tough time with his leg, which he was seen grabbing several times during the match. However, resilience and determination are what Sinner believes in as he makes a sensational desire ahead of the US Open. 

Speaking with the Cincinnati Masters’ organizers ahead of his campaign, the reigning Australian Open winner reflected on the woes that he faced this year but still remains determined. “I’m looking forward to see my reaction this year. It’s a great test for me. I believe this tournament can give you a lot of confidence for the US Open, which is the last Grand Slam we have through the year. In my mind, this is a very important tournament.” Continuing further, he highlighted the struggles that he has been facing especially in terms of his practice sessions. 

“Before, maybe I was doing four hours of practice a day with good quality, and the fifth hour was so-so. Now I can do five, six hours of quality. It means the mental side has improved, the physical side has improved.” However, Sinner has failed to keep up with this momentum lately. Remember, the tennis sensation withdrew from the Paris Olympics this year after contracting tonsillitis and diagnosing with high fever. In an interaction with the editor-in-chief of Ubi Tennis, Giovanni Pelazzo, Sinner revealed that he “wasn’t even able to get out of bed” due to his illness.

While this could have probably kept him away from practicing extensively ahead of his latest campaigns, the Italian is determined to return to his old form. “Hopefully, I can get back to this before the US Open because I always feel good on court when I practice a lot, and in my mind, I know that I can handle the practice sessions in a good way. This brings me confidence.” Sinner’s challenges were reflected in several of his other endeavors as well, this season.

Hip woes surfaced for Sinner in Monte Carlo, which eventually left him without much preparation for Roland Garros. While he reached the semis despite not feeling at his best, Sinner eventually suffered a setback against Carlos Alcaraz. Additionally, he was far from 100 percent at Wimbledon, stalling in the quarterfinals against Daniil Medvedev in five sets, 6-7(7), 6-4, 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-3. As health remained a major roadblock for the star player, he now seems prepared to face all that comes his way. However, despite their impeccable resilience, Sinner is yet to get over the Paris Olympics heartbreak.

‘You have to accept it’ – Jannik Sinner tries to make peace with the Olympic heartbreak

Jannik Sinner’s beginning in this season established him as a favorite title contender for many major tournaments including the Paris Olympics. Unfortunately, destiny seemed to be at the opposite end as Sinner’s skills, and eventually, he faced significant challenges this summer. It feels like he is still trying to make peace with the defeat.

Speaking in the same interaction, the Italian revealed his heartbreak. “The Olympics was my main goal for the season because I missed the last one,” he said. “This year, I felt like, because I was playing well at Roland Garros, that I could play good on that court, trying to give myself a chance for a medal. But sometimes you have to accept it.” Continuing further, he demonstrated his sportsman spirit. “Maybe sometimes you have a bit more stress, where your immune system goes down a bit. It’s all part of the sport.”

As the season progresses, it would be interesting to see if the Italian sensation can come out of his recent subpar performance and achieve big at the US Open.