On the eve of his expected entry into the competition, world number 1 Jannik Sinner, victim of an “intestinal virus”, has withdrawn from playing in the Masters 1000 in Paris, where world number 2 Carlos Alcaraz mastered his first steps.
“I am very disappointed to announce that I am not able to play this tournament. I arrived early to prepare but I fell ill, I have a virus, it should pass in two or three days, but physically, I am not in a condition to play,” explained the Italian in a video message posted by the organizers.
The tournament organisers had announced a few minutes earlier that the world number one was suffering from an “intestinal virus”.
The withdrawal of Sinner, assured since mid-October of finishing the year on the throne of world tennis for the first time in his career, at 23 years old, suits the Frenchman Arthur Cazaux (85th world player), who was drafted into the main draw.
Sinner now has about ten days to get back into shape before the major goal of his end of season, the Masters in Turin, which brings together the eight best players of the year, on his Italian soil from November 10 to 17. He is then expected in the final phase of the Davis Cup the following week, in Malaga (Spain), with the status of defending champion with Italy.
Alcaraz is waiting for Humbert
Sinner has had a sparkling 2024 season so far, with his first two Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open and the US Open. In total, he has won seven tournaments since the start of the year, including three Masters 1000s (Miami, Cincinnati and Shanghai).
However, he is also under threat of suspension in a doping case that began in March and came to light at the end of the summer, following an appeal by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). He was initially cleared in the proceedings.
Sinner has a troubled history with the Paris tournament: a year ago, the Italian with the red curls had already withdrawn, before his second match, after winning the first at the end of the night, at past two thirty in the morning.
In the absence of Novak Djokovic, who has won a record seven trophies in the Bercy arena, Carlos Alcaraz, the other expected headliner, made a controlled entrance against the Chilean Nicolas Jarry (37th ) 7-5, 6-1, eliminated in 90 minutes.
“It’s been two years since I won a match here,” he recalled, referring to his elimination from the start last fall.
In the round of 16, the Spaniard, who this year won the Roland-Garros/Wimbledon double, will face either the French number 1 Ugo Humbert (18th ) or the American Marcos Giron (49th ) , who will face each other on Wednesday.
If Bercy has not been a success for him so far – in three previous participations, he has never made it past the quarter-finals – Paris, on the other hand, will smile on him in 2024. He was crowned at Roland-Garros in the spring and an Olympic silver medallist in singles in the summer. “Carlitos” returns to the French capital with the desire to “complete the loop with a sort of hat-trick”.
It’s Alexander Zverev’s turn (against Griekspoor), Daniil Medvedev (against Popyrin) and Taylor Fritz (against Draper) to enter the fray on Wednesday.
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