Jannik Sinner failed to match his win at the 2023 Canadian Open this year as he was bounced out in the quarterfinals in three sets by Andrey Rublev. Worse, and much more long-term, the Italian was struggling with a hip injury that had nagged him for months. There is a chance that the only way to get completely healthy is to not play.
The hip also puts Sinner’s participation in the Cincinnati Open in doubt. Should he withdraw, and that might make the most sense, he wouldn’t drop many points, though. He lost in the second round of the Western and Southern Open in 2023, so the current ATP No. 1 only has 45 points to defend.
Should he play and remain healthy, he could pick a lot of ranking points, however. He would have a real chance to extend his lead. The positive part for Sinner should he choose to rest his hip is that he would not be in danger of losing his top ranking. Not yet anyway.
Carlos Alcaraz is currently No. 3, though he will probably move up to No. 2 during the Cincinnati Open. The reason is that 2023 winner Novak Djokovic is not going to play so he will drop 1,000 points. The Serb beat the Spaniard in the final so Alcaraz does have 600 points to defend, but he is probably the favorite to win in Cincinnati and he would gain 200 points by doing so.
As Sinner is only dropping 45 points, even if Alcaraz wins he won’t overtake Sinner. This could set up a showdown at the US Open for the battle for No. 1.
Nick Kyrgios will not be participating in the US Open, but he is set to return to tennis. Sort of. The Australian will take part in the Ultimate Tennis Showdown in New York. That will take place from August 22 to 23.
Next. The weird Denis Shapovalov disqualification. The weird Denis Shapovalov disqualification. dark
Kyrgios might simply be using the event to make a little money (of course) but also to test his form as he has not played in an ATP tournament since the Stuttgart Open last June. He lost his only match at the event and that was his only match in 2023.
Kyrgios can be good for tennis. He has a bombastic but entertaining style of play. He has also turned into a good commentator during broadcasts of events. Whether he can ever consistently play enough to be a real danger to making the top ten of the ATP is a different question, though.
