Jannik Sinner copies Cristiano Ronaldo in bid to stop Novak Djokovic winning French Open

Jannik Sinner is reportedly set to undergo rehabilitation for his hip injury at the medical centre of Serie A club Juventus. The world No. 2 is a doubt for the French Open after withdrawing from the Italian Open last week.

Sinner suffered the problem at the Madrid Open earlier this month, retiring from the tournament ahead of his quarter-final against Felix Auger-Aliassime. He has pulled out of his home Masters 1000 event in Rome.

Injuries to Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev leave the trio – ranked second, third and fourth, respectively – at risk of missing the French Open and have opened the path for Novak Djokovic to win a 25th Grand Slam title.

But according to Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport, Sinner is doing everything possible to be fit in time for Roland Garros and is undergoing his rehabilitation at the Juventus medical centre in Turin. They are the same facilities where Cristiano Ronaldo would have recovered from injuries during his time playing for the club.

Sinner, who is hoping to build on the momentum of his first Grand Slam title in Australia, will reportedly undergo physiotherapy with Giacomo Naldi. It is the same expert who helped the 22-year-old through an ankle injury in 2022.

His rehabilitation will reportedly involve water-based exercises, which ensure that the joint is not overloaded. He will also carry out work in the gym with Naldi.

“At Roland Garros, I’ll only play if I’m 100 per cent, if there’s any doubt we have to see,” Sinner said this week. “Some injuries can be prevented, some can’t. So far we’ve done a great job. Last year I played a whole season without injuries and also in this season so far.

“With the MRI we saw that something isn’t 100 per cent ok. However, we have everything under control. If it doesn’t get 100 per cent cured, I’ll stop a little longer. Taking care of the body is more important than everything else.”

Alcaraz and Medvedev have suffered wrist and hip problems, respectively. Like Sinner, both players opted to withdraw from the Italian Open in a bid to recover in time for the trip to Paris.

Their injuries have been partially blamed on new rules making some Masters 1000 tournaments and WTA events mandatory. A more gruelling schedule has coincided with an increase in fitness problems at the elite level.