Jannik Sinner seemed to once again be experiencing difficulties with his right hip as he suffered a surprising defeat to Andrey Rublev at the Canadian Open in Montreal.
The top-ranked player and defending champion was heavily favored to retain his title this week, especially with key rivals Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz not participating.
However, after a day that was affected by rain and stretched out in Montreal, the 22-year-old was defeated by Rublev, who is ranked eighth in the world, with a score of 6-3, 1-6, 6-2.
But it wasn’t the loss itself that raised the most concern, as the Australian Open champion continued to struggle with his right hip throughout the match.
Sinner was seen massaging his hip at times and appeared to be in pain after several long rallies, prompting coach Darren Cahill to suggest calling the physio onto the court after the second set.
The top-ranked player has been dealing with hip issues throughout 2024, particularly during the clay court season.
Sinner initially aggravated the problem in Monte Carlo and then withdrew from the quarter-finals of the Madrid Open before pulling out of the Italian Open.
There are now speculations about whether he will compete in Cincinnati, where he is expected to be the top seed in the men’s singles draw.
For Rublev, this victory is significant regardless of the circumstances, as the Russian player has had a challenging season so far.
In the next round, he will face another Italian player, Matteo Arnaldi, for a chance to reach his second Masters 1000 final of the season.
Rublev commented on his win, saying, “It was a really great match for me. I played really well today and I’m happy that I was able to win. Jannik is an amazing player, and he’s been playing unbelievably for the past two years. I was just hoping to compete with him and showcase great tennis. We had a lot of great rallies and long rallies in the end. Winning this kind of match is always special, especially after some tough moments this year. So, of course, I’m happy.”
Photo from Jannik Sinner Instagram
