Sinner Arrives for the US Open Without Match-Play Momentum, Raising Fitness Questions

NEW YORK — When Jannik Sinner landed at JFK last week for the US Open, he brought with him a cloud of uncertainty that has followed him since his quarterfinal exit at Wimbledon. The Italian world No. 2 has not played a competitive match since July 12.

Sinner withdrew from the Rogers Cup in Montreal citing a wrist injury described by his team as “manageable” — a word that satisfied no one covering the situation. The tournament, played on the same hard courts used for the US Open, was the optimal tune-up for Flushing, and its absence from his schedule means Sinner arrives without match play on a relevant surface in nearly six weeks.

His management declined to offer detailed updates, and Sinner himself was sparing with information at his USTA arrival press conference. “I feel better,” he told reporters in the Armstrong Stadium media room. “I’m ready to compete.” He declined to answer follow-up questions about the nature of the injury.

When healthy, Sinner is arguably the most complete player in the world. His flat, heavy baseline game is ideally suited to the hard courts at Flushing, and his endurance in five-set matches has proven itself repeatedly. He reached the US Open final last year before losing to Carlos Alcaraz.

The concern among those who track the tour closely is that a wrist issue for a player who relies heavily on pace and spin represents a compounding variable in a deep field. If Sinner cannot swing freely through the ball, his margin for error narrows considerably.

Sinner faces an American qualifier in the first round, and his staff will use the early matches to evaluate whether the wrist responds well under match conditions. If it does, the Italian remains one of the favorites. If it does not, Flushing’s storyline could turn very quickly.