Sinner on his knee injury: 'Your body is the only opponent you cannot beat'

Sinner on his knee injury: ‘Your body is the only opponent you cannot beat’

The world No. 1 is sidelined with iliotibial band syndrome in his right knee, and in his first long interview since calling off his season he told la Repubblica that…

·

Read in:

Jannik Sinner is not framing his injury as a crisis.

Asked by la Repubblica whether the demands of the modern tour were pushing his body too far, the Italian steered the conversation to patience and perspective instead.

“Your body is the only opponent you cannot beat; when it tells you to stop, you have to accept it and follow the specialists’ advice,” he said, in quotes carried in English by LaPresse.

Sinner said injuries were part of the sport and that a player had to be sensible about how much and when to compete. He also set his career against a longer horizon, arguing that the work put in now only paid off later on.

Read also: Liverpool eye €120m midfielder – but he is not their first choice

Sidelined since Wimbledon

Sinner has not played a match since beating Alexander Zverev in the Wimbledon final on 12 July. On 6 October he announced through his social channels that his season was over, saying he and his doctors had agreed he needed “a course of treatment” on the right knee.

Italian media have identified the problem as iliotibial band syndrome, an overuse condition on the outside of the knee that typically requires several weeks of structured rest and rehab rather than surgery.

The decision keeps him out of the Paris Masters, the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin from 15 to 22 November and Italy’s Davis Cup Final 8 in Bologna from 24 to 29 November, according to Aceify. He is the two-time defending champion in Turin.

Norman reportedly set to replace Cahill

The timing of the interview is pointed. Italian and Swedish outlets reported this week that Darren Cahill, the Australian who has coached Sinner alongside Simone Vagnozzi since 2022, is stepping aside to spend more time with his family, with former world No. 2 Magnus Norman lined up to take his place.

Read also: Toni Nadal picks Alcaraz over Sinner but will not coach either

Norman won three Grand Slam titles as Stan Wawrinka’s coach between 2013 and 2020, according to LaPresse. The appointment has not yet been confirmed by Sinner’s team.

Sinner has said he intends to be back on tour in 2027. His next scheduled appearance would be the Australian Open, whose main draw begins in Melbourne on 17 January.

Read also: Footage reveals Harry Kane’s Ballon d’Or celebration with shots and golden bottles

Related Stories