Bidding for ATP Finals berth, Jannik Sinner withdraws from Florence with ankle injury

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Jannik Sinner has withdrawn from next week's ATP event in Florence, Italy, due to the ankle sprain he experienced during the ATP event in Sofia, Bulgaria a few days ago.

The 21-year-old Italian fell on court during the third set of his semifinal against Holger Rune before retiring from the contest trailing, 5-7, 6-4, 5-2.

"Frustrating to have had to retire from my match in Sofia," he said on social media, adding that he had spoken with his doctor and been advised to rest the injury a little longer.

Though noting that it is "extra painful" to have to withdraw from an event at home in Italy, Sinner added that he hopes to be "ready for Vienna and Paris."

The withdrawal is also a hit to his chances of qualifying for the ATP Finals in Turin, where he is currently in 12th position in the standings for the eight-player field.

He currently trails sidelined No. 8 Alexander Zverev by 390 points and No. 7 Félix Auger-Aliassime by 550 points in the standings. But there is also some flux in the field—while 15th-placed Novak Djokovic is likely to qualify for the Grand Slam exemption due to his victory at Wimbledon, Zverev and No.2 Rafael Nadal are not scheduled to play again for the rest of the season.

With 500 points to the winner in Vienna, Austria, and 1000 points for winning the Paris Masters, Sinner and several other players are still in the running for the ATP Finals.

It has been a mixed season for the rising young player, who has changed his team and been affected by illness and injury even as he has consolidated his progress up the ranks.

The Italian was among the alternates competing in the 2021 ATP Finals, playing two matches in round robin play following Matteo Berrettini’s withdrawal; he defeated Hubert Hurkacz in straight sets but lost to Daniil Medvedev in a third-set tiebreaker.