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Jannik Sinner recently took to his Instagram handle to reveal that he is pulling out of the Tokyo Olympics 2021, which is scheduled to begin later this month. Sinner, who is currently on a three-match losing streak, cited the need to focus on his "development as a player" as the reason behind his withdrawal.
In his statement, Jannik Sinner expressed his disappointment at not being able to represent Italy at the international event, while making special mention of his local fans. The Italian added that he's had a poor run of results in his last few tournaments, which prompted him to take stock of his training requirements.
"By no means do I take this decision lightly, but I decided not to compete in the Olympics this year. I understand it's a huge privilege and honour to represent my country and I truly hope to do so for many years to come," Jannik Sinner wrote in his statement on Instagram. "However, the reasoning behind my withdrawal is I that haven’t performed to the best of my ability in the last couple of tournaments and I need to focus on my development as a player."
It is pertinent to note that Jannik Sinner has won only one set since reaching the fourth round at Roland Garros. He has lost to Rafael Nadal, Jack Draper and Marton Fucsovics in his last three matches.
The last of those losses, which came in the first round of Wimbledon earlier this week, was seemingly the final straw. The 19-year-old claimed in his statement that he was looking to work on his game during his time away from competitive tennis.
Jannik Sinner ended his message by asserting how important it was for him to be open and honest with his fans.
"I need to take this time to work on my all-round game," Sinner continued. "My goal is to be a better player on and off the court and I will never sacrifice putting the work in to do so. My sole focus is to improve. I wanted to be open and honest with you guys and for you to understand my thought process behind my decision. I feel that this is the best decision for my long term future in the game."
Jannik Sinner to be replaced by Lorenzo Musetti in Italy's line-up for Tokyo 2021
Jannik Sinner's schedule is a lot freer after his withdrawal from Tokyo 2021, and he could work on his serve over the next few weeks given that the shot has been giving him trouble recently. That said, it's unclear how long the Italian will be out of competitive action, considering he has entered his name for the ATP 250 event in Atlanta.
Although Jannik Sinner skipping the Tokyo Games is a considerable blow to Italy's medal aspirations this year, the country will still be fielding a strong team. Another teen phenom, Lorenzo Musetti, is set to replace his good friend Sinner in the line-up.
Here is Italy's field at Tokyo Olympics 2021:
Men's Singles - Matteo Berrettini, Lorenzo Musetti, Lorenzo Sonego, Fabio Fognini
Men's Doubles - Matteo Berrettini / Fabio Fognini, Lorenzo Musetti / Lorenzo Sonego
Women's Singles - Camila Giorgi, Jasmine Paolini
