Jannik Sinner, the defending US Open champion, recently suffered a viral illness during the Cincinnati Open final. While he has mostly recovered, his participation in the US Open remains uncertain, adding intrigue to his title defense.
The World No.1 and Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner provided a crucial update on his health ahead of the US Open 2025, which will begin on August 24. Sinner is the defending champion of the men’s singles, having won the maiden US Open triumph last year by defeating Daniil Medvedev in four sets.
Jannik Sinner’s participation in the US Open has been called into doubt after he suffered illness during the Cincinnati Open final against Carlos Alcaraz. The Italian was trailing 0-5 in the opening set before he decided to retire midway through the final following consultation with his medical team. The 23-year-old withdrew from the mixed doubles at the US Open 2025, where he was supposed to partner with Katerina Siniakova of Czechoslovakia in the opening round against the German-Swiss pair of Alexander Zverev and Belinda Bencic.
Sinner’s coach Darren Cahill confirmed that the Italian was struck with viral fever, but is confident of his recovery in time for the US Open, where he will be aiming for the third Grand Slam title of the season after winning the Australian Open and Wimbledon Championships.
‘I’m still not at 100 percent’
Amid the uncertainty over his US Open title defence, Jannik Sinner addressed his health issue. Speaking at the press conference on the eve of the tournament, Sinner stated that he has recovered from the virus, but is still not 100 percent match-fit. However, the Italian tennis star is confident of recovery before his opening match of the tournament.
“So physically, I feel good. You know, I have recovered mostly, not 100 percent yet, but we are aiming to be there in a couple of days. So should be all fine for the tournament,” Sinner told reporters.
“It was a virus, also, some other players had it. Just sleeping and recovering. Nothing crazy,” he added.
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After clinching his maiden Wimbledon Championships by defeating Carlos Alcaraz in the final, Jannik Sinner decided to withdraw from the Canadian Open in order to prioritize his health rather than playing back-to-back tournaments. In the Cincinnati Masters, Sinner had a fantastic run in his quest to defend his Cincinnati title, which he won last year, as the Italian did not drop a single set until the illness prevented him from carrying on the momentum and forced him to concede the championship clash.
Sinner motivated to defend his US Open title
Jannik Sinner is among the strong favourites, alongside Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, to clinch the US Open title. Sinner will begin his quest for the title defence against Vit Kopriva of Czechoslovakia in the opening round of the men’s singles at Flushing Meadows.
Though Sinner has faced a slight health setback due to a virus, the World No.1 is riding on motivation from the season so far, winning two Grand Slam titles.
“I’m very happy to be back here. It’s obviously the last Grand Slam we have for this season, so the motivations are very high,” the defending champion noted.
Jannik Sinner will look to end his Grand Slam season on a high note by defending his title before turning his focus to the ATP Finals and cementing his dominance as the World No.1. Sinner has already won four Grand Slam titles in his career, winning two Australian Open titles, the French Open, and Wimbledon Championships.