Darren Cahill's cryptic social media post implies Jannik Sinner will play French Open
By Lee Vowell
Jannik Sinner withdrew from his quarterfinal at the Madrid Masters due to a hip injury and he has not played since late April. The prescription mostly seemed to be to rest the issue and let time heal the wound. Sinner, therefore, decided not to play at the Italian Open in hopes of playing at the French Open.
To be fair, should Sinner not play at Roland Garros either that might help his cause to reach the top spot on the ATP tour. Novak Djokovic is still ranked No. 1 but he has 2,000 points to defend at the French Open since he won the event. Should Djokovic lose before the semifinals, Sinner will take over the No. 1 spot.
But no competitor wants to back into gaining a title or ranking; they want to earn the spot. Sinner is just 22 years old with a long career ahead of him and he probably wants to prove he can be one of the best players on the tour for the next decade. He does not want things to accidentally happen to him.
Jannik Sinner seems set for the French Open after cryptic Darren Cahill post
The good part for tennis fans is that his coach, Darren Cahill, appears to have implied on social media that Sinner will definitely play on the French clay. Cahill did not make any statement but posted a photo on Instagram that showed a racket lying on some red clay while three tennis balls rested on the racket. The balls read, "Roland Garros 2024."
Cahill did state, "Terre Battue," with the photo but purely translated that just means "beaten earth" or "dirt." It certainly does not say, "Jannik Sinner will be at the French Open!"
Still, why would Cahill post the photo and short message on IG if that did not heavily imply Jannik Sinner would be playing at the French Open? Coaches of Cahill's talent and awareness of social media do not do things accidentally. Instead, one can assume Sinner is ready for the French Open.
Novak Djokovic has not been in his best form in 2024 and has yet to even make a final this year. While he can never be ruled out of winning any tournament, his current form would imply he might struggle at Roland Garros. If that happens, Sinner should be ranked ATP No. 1 when the rankings come out in early June.