Jannik Sinner\u2019s winning streak continued at the Italian Open, but he showed more than a few signs of weakness during his run to the Masters title.<\/p>\n
Sinner looked incredibly worse for wear against Daniil Medvedev in the semi-final and he also showed clear signs of fatigue in a straight sets victory against Andrey Rublev.<\/p>\n
According to the director of the Italian Open, Sinner was very close to withdrawing from his home event due to his hectic clay court schedule so far.<\/p>\n
Speaking to Eurosport Italia<\/a>, Rome\u2019s tournament director, Angelo Binaghi, said he was convinced Sinner would pull out of the Italian Open due to his physical conditioning.<\/p>\n Sinner<\/a> played the Monte Carlo Masters<\/a> and the Madrid Open<\/a> back-to-back, which was a surprise to many, but his current form at Masters events clearly convinced him to continue the run.<\/p>\n Binaghi said he was warned by Matteo Berrettini<\/a> that Sinner was gearing up to withdraw from his home tournament after winning the two Masters events in Monte Carlo and Madrid.<\/p>\n More Jannik Sinner news<\/p>\n Jannik Sinner warned there is still one tennis record that is \u2018impossible\u2019 for him to break<\/a><\/p>\n Jannik Sinner\u2019s clay dominance likened to Rafael Nadal ahead of French Open tilt<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cBerrettini told me: \u2018Yes, yes, look, it\u2019s impossible for him to come, he can\u2019t do it anymore.\u2019 So I was resigned,\u201d said the Italian following Sinner\u2019s victory. <\/p>\n Of course, Sinner did play, and win, the Italian Open, continiuing his incredible record at Masters events, dating back to the Paris Masters last season. <\/p>\n Despite his victory on home soil, Binaghi is still worried about Sinner\u2019s status after his lengthy slog on the European clay court swing. <\/p>\n \u201cWe were seriously worried about his physical condition. We saw problems both at the end of the match with Rublev<\/a>, and especially in the match with Medvedev<\/a>,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n Binaghi believes Sinner\u2019s remarkable run in Rome, despite his physical issues, showcases what a brilliant champion the World No. 1 has become. <\/p>\n \u201cI think that in this last match Jannik showed energy that perhaps he didn\u2019t even know he had , but this is what great champions do, who are not normal people and who have a suffering threshold, a limit that is different from what we normal people have.\u201d<\/p>\n Sinner will now have a week off before Roland Garros<\/a> kicks off, where he is expected to play on either the first Monday or Tuesday of the event.<\/p>\n Whether his physical issues can be solved in that time is anyone\u2019s guess, but he has absolutely put a target on his back following his worrying physical capitulation in the second set against Medvedev in Rome.<\/p>\n