Jannik Sinner has enjoyed a busy clay-court season thus far, but one laden with success.
After all, having beaten Carlos Alcaraz in the Monte Carlo final, he then opted against rushing to Munich or Barcelona, instead waiting to see if he even felt fresh enough for the Madrid Open.
His great rival, keen to play in his homeland, conversely sped to Barcelona, where he injured his wrist and subsequently ruled himself out of Roland Garros.
It marked a tragic end to his clay-court season and sent a warning sign to the rest of the tour, who might have been considering packing out their schedule.
With this fresh in his mind, Jannik Sinner has now shared whether he ever considered skipping the Madrid Open and heading straight from Monaco to Rome.
Jannik Sinner says if he nearly skipped the Madrid Open
Chatting with Tennis Channel after his latest win over Elmer Møller, just after Sinner explained what his relationship with Spanish tennis fans was really like, he was then asked about whether Madrid was ever in danger of being cut from his schedule.
He first admitted: “Uh… I mean, yes and no.”
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Sinner then went over their thought process after the title in Monte Carlo: “When I won, or when I finished there in Monaco, I said, you know, in three, four days we decide if we play or if we don’t play.
“I woke up quite good body-wise. I was like, why not? So we go here, you know, we try how my body feels. Even though the body is the most important, and I will always protect it, you know, also for future events and also for future years.
“So I made choices last year. I made choices a couple of years ago by not playing certain events. When I feel like that’s the right thing to do, I’m always going to do it.
“And also, in the middle of tournaments, you know? When I feel like it’s getting too much, you know, for the body, I’m not scared to say no, you know.
“But at the moment, I feel quite good, also mentally in a quite good position, even though I played a lot in the last month. So let’s see, but I’m happy to be here, I’m happy to play at least one match here, and then we’ll see how it goes.”
Djokovic decided to skip Madrid and has actually yet to play a match on clay this season. Alas, he will have grand ambitions of still challenging for the Roland Garros title.
Novak Djokovic’s Roland Garros gamble has to pay off
Novak Djokovic’s decision to skip the majority of the clay-court season should come as no surprise, given how deliberate he has been in reducing his schedule over the past few years.
However, on this particular occasion, the gamble simply has to pay off.
After all, with Alcaraz having withdrawn from Roland Garros, one-half of his biggest obstacle for a Grand Slam title has been removed before a ball has even been hit.
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He still hasn't played a match on clay this year…
The Serbian has been searching for that 25th major for so long now, and consistently has been thwarted by the world number two and Sinner on the biggest stages.
This slice of misfortune for Alcaraz is a huge gift for Djokovic, and he will hope that his reduced schedule provides him with enough energy to make his biggest push yet towards immortality.
