Roger Federer’s former coach says if he thinks Jannik Sinner’s illness will impact his US Open title defence

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Jannik Sinner’s Cincinnati Open title defence ended abruptly, leaving many to question if the same will happen in New York…

Looking to win his second consecutive Cincinnati Open title, Sinner took on his biggest rival, Carlos Alcaraz, in the final.

However, much to the disappointment of the Italian and the fans in attendance, Sinner retired down 0-5 in the final, as he struggled with illness.

Unsurprisingly, Sinner then withdrew from the US Open mixed doubles event, which began on Tuesday, as he set his sights on a return in the singles.

Rating Sinner’s US Open chances, Roger Federer’s former coach suggested whether the illness would impact his title defence.

Ivan Ljubicic says it could be ‘difficult’ for Jannik Sinner to win the US Open if he takes a week to recover

During an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Federer’s former coach Ivan Ljubicic was asked whether Sinner’s illness would have an effect on his US Open campaign.

“It depends on how long it lasts,” he said.

“If he recovers in two or three days, there won’t be any setbacks. If he has to rest for the whole week, then it becomes difficult to regain the form needed to win a Slam.

“Even though Jannik [Sinner] will face more manageable opponents in the early rounds, the distance of three out of five sets, the heat and humidity of Flushing Meadows could cause him to lose a lot of energy.”

Ljubicic proceeded to deny that the Italian’s latest illness showed that Sinner is ‘fragile’.

“For me, these are unrelated cases,” said Ljubicic.

“Jannik had a hip problem that he fixed, then he was just unlucky: the fall on his elbow, the alleged virus.

“It doesn’t mean his body is fragile at all.”

The Croat then highlighted the one shot of Sinner’s that could still be improved, even if he is currently ranked number one in the world.

“He lacks nothing. It’s true that his serve is his least natural shot, but every champion has a sort of fixation on the shot where he feels least prepared,” said Ljubicic.

“For Jannik, it’s his serve, even though he’s improved a lot.”

He certainly has improved, as Sinner currently leads the ATP Tour for ‘Serve Rating’ over the past 12 months.

ATP top ten for Serve Rating (Past 52 weeks)

• 1. Jannik Sinner – 296.5
• 2. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard – 296.2
• 3. Taylor Fritz – 295.7
• 4. Alexander Zverev – 295.5
• 5. Ben Shelton – 292.4
• 6. Reilly Opelka – 292.0
• 7. Novak Djokovic – 291.5
• 8. Matteo Berrettini – 291.1
• 9. Hubert Hurkacz – 289.0
• 10. Brandon Nakashima – 286.4

If he can keep those serving numbers up, then surely Sinner will be in contention to pick up his fifth Grand Slam title next month.

The Grand Slam race heats up between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner

Sinner and Alcaraz have shared the last seven Grand Slams between themselves, as they begin to dominate on the ATP Tour

The young duo are the second and third most successful active players at the Grand Slam level, trailing only Novak Djokovic, the record 24-time champion.

List of ‘active’ men’s Grand Slam winners

• 1. Novak Djokovic – 24
• 2. Carlos Alcaraz – 5
• 3. Jannik Sinner – 4
• 4. Stan Wawrinka – 3
• T-5. Daniil Medvedev – 1
• T-5. Marin Cilic – 1

Many expect one of Sinner and Alcaraz to continue their reign of terror at Flushing Meadows, Ljubicic included.

“They’re certainly clearly ahead of everyone else; I’d be surprised if they didn’t make it to the final,” he said.

If Sinner can defend his US Open title, he’d move level with Alcaraz on five Grand Slams, having trailed his rival 2-4 at the beginning of the year.

That’s not to say other players don’t have a chance to disrupt their Grand Slam-winning run, as Ljubicic named three ATP stars who could emerge with the title.

“The names are always the same: [Taylor] Fritz, [Alexander] Zverev, [Novak] Djokovic,” he said.

Taylor Fritz and Alexander Zverev are yet to win a major, while Djokovic hasn’t been able to add to his tally of 24 Grand Slams since picking up the title in New York two years ago.

Only time will tell if any of those three can stop Alcaraz and Sinner from winning another Grand Slam, but it will certainly be worth tuning in for when the tournament begins on Sunday, August 24.