Recovered Sinner hopes to play his way into Paris contention

Jannik Sinner has timed his hip injury comeback to perfection, with the Italian hoping to play his way into contention as Roland Garros begins on Sunday.

The winner of three titles this season including his first Grand Slam in Melbourne, has been out nearly a month after withdrawing injured in Madrid.

But the Italian seeded second pronounced his injury officially in the past as he looks ahead to the clay major and the Paris Olympics. 

“I’m not concerned anymore about my hip, the last tests we made were very positive” he said. “That’s why I’m here.

“The hip is in a good shape, but the general physical shape is not perfect.”

Sinner said that his enforced time off court will be a major hurdle to overcome.

“I didn’t play tennis for nearly three weeks, which is quite a lot before a Grand Slam. 

“I’ll just try to play day by day. Hopefully, getting through to the first round can help me a little bit, finding my rhythm.’

He called the mental game “most important, being mentally ready, accepting what could happen on the court – we’ll see what I can do.

“I’ve played points (in practice) for the last three days. I’m confident that every day is getting better and better… then we’ll see.”