Hold on, because this article is going to cause a stir. Gianni Daniele, president of the medical commission of the Italian Tennis Federation, has been in the news in recent hours after analyzing the current situation of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Although both are recovering from an injury, their opinions couldn’t be further apart.
Daniele believes that Sinner’s situation should not cause excessive concern and understands his withdrawal from Cincinnati as a precautionary decision. The Italian explains that the player rested after Wimbledon and then resumed quite intense training to prepare for the hard court tour, something that can cause stress in joints like the knee, hip, or ankles. “These issues are exacerbated by a period of inactivity that can lead to inflammation of the tendons,” the expert points out in the newspaper Repubblica.
The controversial diagnosis about Alcaraz that will make headlines
But the most striking part of the interview comes when Daniele compares Sinner’s moment with that of Alcaraz. Regarding the Murcian, he recalls that the exact nature of the wrist injury he suffered has not been clearly known and proposes an explanation that goes far beyond the physical. “Now a hypothesis of mental weakness is coming into play: having difficulties in regaining the intensity of his previous work, a form of depression might have developed in his mind, a vicious cycle that does not give him the confidence he once had,” he asserts.
Surprised? The truth is no, since we still have fresh in our minds the words of Angelo Binaghi, current president of the FIT, when he criticized the Murcian for buying a yacht. Anyway, just things that are best archived.
The issue here is that the Italian doctor insists that Alcaraz’s problems are beginning to shift to the realm of confidence. “Doubts would begin to take control of his mind,” adds Daniele, in especially forceful words when speaking of a player who, despite his recent difficulties, remains at the forefront of world tennis.
The contrast with Sinner could not be more evident. While the Italian believes that the number one is simply taking a precaution before the US Open, his analysis of Alcaraz points directly to a supposed psychological problem. In fact, Daniele is convinced that Sinner will be ready for New York: “I believe he will be perfectly fit for the US Open.” The comparison gains even more relevance due to the rivalry that both players maintain, a duel that has become the central axis of the men’s circuit.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El jefe médico de la federación italiana de tenis ataca a Carlos Alcaraz