After days of exhilarating tennis action, the battle comes down to the two players, Frances Tiafoe and Jannik Sinner, for the Cincinnati Masters title. However, both the players have had a contrasting run going into the summit clash. While the Italian star has barely put a foot wrong this season, Tiafoe has had problems with an inconsistent run of form. Nonetheless, he proved his critics wrong by rising to the occasion and making it to the final. Going by his massive rise lately, John McEnroe’s brother, Patrick McEnroe, has backed his compatriot to go all the way and win the title now.

McEnroe was impressed with the way Tiafoe fought back in the semifinal against Holger Rune to emerge victorious. In the deciding set, the American star was 2-5 down and even faced a couple of match points. However, he held his nerves to take the contest into the tiebreaker where he won crucial points to upset Rune. As a result, Patrick McEnroe was all praise for Tiafoe, as he said, “What a comeback win for @FTiafoe late last night over Rune ….kick starting his 2024 season in a very big way. Big chance in final today @CincyTennis vs a possibly hobbled @janniksin in the final,” via his official X handle.

While Frances Tiafoe is riding high on his semifinal victory, Sinner hasn’t been in the best of physical shape lately. The Italian star has been struggling with a hip injury and it appeared to flare up during his marathon victory over Alexander Zverev in the semifinals yesterday, which required more than three hours.

Despite having one of the best seasons of his tennis career, Sinner’s health problems have affected him lately. The Italian star also missed the Paris Olympic Games due to an illness that he suffered just ahead of the mega-event. With the US Open coming up, Sinner has no intentions of risking his body for the Cincinnati Open title.

Jannik Sinner’s injury concerns ahead of Frances Tiafoe clash

Sinner hasn’t had the easiest of times on the court at the ongoing Cincinnati Masters. While he won his R32 match comfortably in straight sets, the 23-year-old has had to dig deep in each of his last two matches, first against Andrey Rublev and then against Zverev. Moreover, with the US Open starting shortly, Sinner doesn’t intend to take any chances against Frances Tiafoe.

After winning against Zverev, Sinner revealed, “I will not risk [my health] before the US Open or other bigger tournaments. For sure sometimes I feel it [the hip]. I have to understand what exactly it is at the moment because I feel like it’s a different small issue than it was before. I’m not worried yet, so I’m happy to play. That’s the most important. I have six good days [before the US Open] trying to recover and also work on it. So I’m not concerned.”

Sinner will be the favorite going into the US Open if he manages to avoid any serious injury troubles. However, for now, he will have to focus on his match against Frances Tiafoe, which will begin in a few hours.