Jannik Sinner faces a big decision after winning Wimbledon, with an amazing chance to make history right ahead.
Jannik Sinner has an important decision to make in the next few weeks that could shape his whole season after winning the Wimbledon men’s singles final.
The world number one beat Alexander Zverev, the French Open champion, 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Sunday to win his second Wimbledon title in a row. This win makes Sinner a five-time Grand Slam winner, and now he’s aiming for a sixth at the US Open in August.
After the match, Sinner showed respect for Zverev’s great play and said, “I know you want to become number one in the world. You’re very close, so we have to be careful!”
Another big challenge for Sinner is Carlos Alcaraz, who missed Wimbledon and the French Open because of a wrist injury. It’s not clear when Alcaraz will return, so we don’t know if he will be back in time to defend his US Open title from last year.
Before a Grand Slam, top players often choose which tournaments to play and sometimes skip events to stay in the best shape for the big one. Players can get fined for missing tournaments, but the best players can usually afford to skip some because of their rankings.
Sinner might have a tough choice to make if he wants to chase an amazing tennis record. He has already won five out of the nine ATP Masters 1000 titles, which are the biggest events after the Grand Slams. If he wins the rest this year, he’ll be the first ever to win all nine in a single year.
He still has the Canadian and Cincinnati Opens, plus the Shanghai and Paris Masters to play. The Canadian Open shouldn’t be a problem, but the Cincinnati Open runs from August 11-23, with the final on a Sunday. Then the US Open starts exactly a week later, so Sinner has to decide if that’s enough time to rest before the big tournament.
He’s keeping his options open and told reporters after Wimbledon, “We’ll decide whether to play Montreal, Cincinnati, both, or just one. Right now, I’m focused on relaxing and enjoying normal life. When it’s time to start again, I’ll focus on what’s ahead.”
His coach, Darren Cahill, added, “Last year the schedule was tighter, but this year there’s more time. The busy schedule made it hard if you went deep in Wimbledon to then play Canada soon after.”