Tennis - Madrid Open - Park Manzanares, Madrid, Spain - April 30, 2024 Italy's Jannik Sinner in action during his round of 16 match against Russia's Karen Khachanov REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura/ File Photo
(Reuters) - Jannik Sinner has been forced to withdraw from the Masters 1000 event in Rome next week due to a hip injury he suffered at the Madrid Open, the world number two said on Saturday, hampering his preparations for the French Open.
Sinner pulled out before his quarter-final against Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime in Madrid and the 22-year-old Italian said he was heartbroken to take the decision to skip his home tournament which runs from May 8-19.
"It is not easy to write this message but after talking again with doctors and specialists about my hip problems I have to announce that I will unfortunately not be able to play in Rome," Sinner wrote on social media platform X.
"Of course, I am very sad that I will not be able to recover, as it is one of my favourite tournaments ever. I was looking forward to coming back and playing at home in front of the Italian public."
Sinner is the second major loss for the tournament in Rome after Spain's world number three and claycourt specialist Carlos Alcaraz withdrew as he recovers from an arm injury.
Sinner was in fine form in the first few months of the season, winning his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open before clinching trophies in Rotterdam and at the Miami Masters.
He began the claycourt swing with a semi-final run at the Monte Carlo Masters before his withdrawal in Madrid.
The French Open begins on May 26.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
