Jannik Sinner raises concerns about French Open 2024 participation as Italian withdraws ahead of Madrid Open QF with injury

Top seed Jannik Sinner has withdrawn from the 2024 Madrid Open ahead of his quarterfinal clash against Felix Auger-Aliassime, citing the hip injury he sustained during the tournament a couple of rounds ago.

The Italian first showed signs of struggle after his third-round battle against Pavel Kotov. At the time, Sinner maintained that it was not that serious and that his team would decide what's best for him.

"I have been struggling a little bit with my right hip. We're trying to find a solution and I don't think it's anything serious. Sometimes I feel it more like today and some days are a little bit better."

"I have a good team behind me and we'll try to get my body going for tomorrow. And we'll decide tomorrow what's best for me and what's best for the body," Sinner said in his on-court interview after beating Kotov.

Despite the caution, the World No. 2 decided to play the fourth-round fixture against Karen Khachanov, earning himself another three-setter win.

This time, however, Jannik Sinner was a lot less confident that he would be playing the next round, stating in his press conference afterward that he would make the decision the next day.

"I decided to play after today's warm-up and I saw that I was ready to play. I knew I would suffer, but I accepted it. I also try to enjoy the moment because if you don't enjoy playing tennis it's hard. If I can play and enjoy, I will play and if not, then I will not play. Tomorrow I will make the decision," Sinner said.

On Wednesday, 24 hours before his scheduled quarterfinal against Auger-Aliassime, Sinner sent word to the tournament that he will be withdrawing from the event.

As a result, the Canadian has reached his first semifinal at the Madrid Open, which will also be just his third appearance in the last four at a Masters 1000 event. He will take on either Daniil Medvedev or Jiri Lehecka for a spot in the final.

With his home tournament at the Italian Open and the French Open coming up ahead soon, it will be a race against time for the 22-year-old to recover in the following days.

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"I'm not afraid, but you have to think twice" - Jannik Sinner on his hip injury

Mutua Madrid Open - Day Seven

During the press conference after his fourth round, Jannik Sinner admitted that he will have to be extra cautious now with his injury, especially with the Italian Open and the French Open following soon after.

With 2024 being an Olympic year as well, the Italian emphasized that he doesn't want the situation to get worse.

"I'm not afraid, but you have to think twice because now comes Rome, Paris , then Wimbledon and then the Olympic Games . If it's a situation where it gets worse, I'll think again. We'll see how I feel tomorrow, I'm curious to see how my hip reacts after playing for two hours today,” Jannik Sinner said.

Last year, the World No. 2 reached the fourth round of the Italian Open and lost early at Roland Garros, exiting in the second round.