Jannik Sinner’s shocking stumble at the Canadian Open has magnified our collective disappointment! Last year, the Italian player showed no discomfort in his pursuit of greatness in Montreal, clinching the title while displaying some amazing tennis against Alex De Minaur. Unfortunately, this season, the World No. 1 couldn’t sweep past the quarterfinals and fell short against World No. 8 Andrey Rublev. This has raised questions about his consistency, sparking criticism among fans about his failure to deliver in crucial moments.

In the first set itself, Rublev managed to establish his power over the Australian Open champion, Sinner. As it ended at 6-3, Sinner understood that he had to bounce back. Furthermore, rain halted the match, which gave Sinner ample time to prepare for the next set. The Italian, who was frequently seen holding his leg in discomfort during the first set, tried to regain his form in the second one, which fortunately worked in his favor, (1-6). However, by the third and deciding set, the match took another turn.

During the changeover before that game, Sinner was once again bothered by his leg and even kept holding his right hip over and over again. This same discomfort also reflected on his form in the next segment of the match, wherein the Italian fell short against Rublev by 2-6. 

Although he refused to call his trainer during the match, owing to his hip injury, Sinner couldn’t manage the problem on his own, magnifying disappointment among everyone. As a result, tennis fans, unhappy with this, have displayed their dissatisfaction on X.

Sinner faces backlash after Canadian Open exit

Referring to the repeated setback of Sinner owing to his injuries, one fan wrote on X, “Coincidentally, he always gets injured when he’s losing.” Sinner has been struggling with his right hip injury for the majority of the 2024 season. It all started in the Madrid Open, where Sinner said after his round of 32 clash, “I’ve been struggling a little bit with my right hip.” And after playing one more match, he withdrew from the quarterfinals of the event.

Later on, he also missed the Italian Open for the same reason, concentrating on his healing process. While initially we feared whether he would participate in the French Open or not, he waved away the doubts with his last-minute decision to play on the red clay. Unfortunately, he couldn’t win against Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals, raising concerns about his form once again.

Not only his hip, but even his throat has also troubled him lately, pausing his climb to success at the 2024 Olympics. It was supposed to be his debut performance at the Games, where Sinner was ready to represent his country, Italy, with pride. But it was his tonsillitis that made him opt out of the Paris Olympics. “Tonsillitis was tough, I took antibiotics for almost a week and didn’t touch the racquet for days,” he recently said in an interview. Now that he had an early exit from Canada, fans are jokingly questioning his Olympic decisions. Pointing at this, one fan wrote on X, “Jannik skipped the Olympics for this? 😂.”

One fan, sarcastically mocking his health, stated, “Start eating some tripe, black beans, oxtail because you’re lazy. In a best of 3, you won’t win, lol, the man dies on the court.” A few months ago, Sinner admitted that he is “more in the gym than on the tennis court right now.” It perfectly describes how he is focusing on his health while also improving his tennis skills. Sinner also explained how he needs to be “strong and stable,” to continue his reign in the sport. However, it is not quite translating into his performance lately, raising speculations about his health.

Although this year hasn’t been entirely successful for the Miami Open champion, he was able to pull off one remarkable feat: rising to the top ranking for the first time in his career, throwing Novak Djokovic off the spot! In doing so, he even created history by becoming the first Italian player to achieve the No. 1 ranking since 1973. He managed to win the Halle Open title after rising to the top, but his quarterfinal exit from Wimbledon, along with his Olympic withdrawal and a loss in Toronto, have made fans worried about his performance. Another fan, hinting at this, stated, “At this rate, Sinner won’t remain as number 1 soon enough.”

Another fan, displaying the same perspective, added, “Sinner is obviously good but he isn’t the best male player this year. Just my opinion.” Sinner started the season with an Australian Open triumph, followed by an ATP Rotterdam victory. Furthermore, the 22-year-old also made it to the semifinals at Indian Wells before winning the Miami Open. However, since then, he has been struggling with his tennis, missing out on important events, while simultaneously dealing with his injuries.

Sinner’s setback serves as a harsh reminder of the challenges he is facing in his pursuit of excellence. Can he bounce back and silence his doubters? Stay tuned to find out!