Sinner-Kotov at ATP Madrid, the result live

(Marco Calabresi) Stronger than Russian Pavel Kotov, stronger than the pain. Jannik Sinner is also in the round of 16 in Madrid, but this time the fatigue made itself felt, and with it also a small problem in his right hip that the world number 2 (but number 1 seed at the Caja Magica) has been living with for a while. We happened to see him stretching and taking advantage of every change of pitch until the last second to catch his breath and “listen to himself”, but when it came to giving the decisive acceleration of the match was the usual Sinner, good at closing 6-2 7-5 and not being dragged by the Russian to a third set that would have further strained his legs. The problem, for Jannik, is that unlike what happened after the match against Sonego this time the hours of rest they will be less than 24: the blue player should be back on the pitch tomorrow, the fourth match on the pitch dedicated to Arantxa Sanchez, also with a roof.
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It should, because Sinner raised some doubts in the post-match interview in Italian. He was initially referring to the possibility that, as against Kotov, we could play with the roof closed (in Madrid spring takes a while), but that “I’m struggling a little, we’ll see what’s best for my body” it makes you think of a long one sitting in the hands of physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi — present in Spain with coach Simone Vagnozzi — to check that everything is in order, and possibly not risk making things worse in view of Rome and Madrid. Translated: Sinner’s presence on the pitch is far from certain.
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​Against a player who is physically strong but who pays a bit in agility, Sinner used the short ball several times: the service, however, was not the same as always, as demonstrated by the two consecutive breaks suffered in the first set. Kotov, however, was never able to hold serve throughout the first set, although the problems in moving Sinner were increasingly evident on the forehand side. «Let’s try to win it like this», Vagnozzi’s incitement from the box, but it wasn’t easy: after the break earned at 2-1 in the second set, Jannik had to face a set point, before almost suddenly finding himself back in the match. AND when Kotov served from deep, Sinner decided the match had to endto run on the bed.