Jannik Sinner, ranked second in the world, said that he lost a lot of weight after undergoing a tonsillectomy, and is currently working on regaining his muscle mass as he continues his recovery journey from a knee injury in preparation for returning to the field.
The 25-year-old Italian player has missed competitions since winning his fifth Grand Slam title by winning the Wimbledon Championship last July, due to a knee injury. But he confirmed earlier this week his confidence in regaining his readiness to participate in the Australian Open tournament early next year.
In a video clip that he posted on his YouTube channel yesterday, Wednesday, Siner spoke with a doctor about the impact of weight loss on his rehabilitation program.
He said: “We returned to Monaco, and we work daily to regain muscle mass,” and added: “I underwent a tonsillectomy a few weeks ago, and I lost a lot of weight. This may appear on my facial features, as I look a little thinner. “So we are doing everything we can to come back stronger than we were.”
Sinner recently ended his partnership with his coach Darren Cahill after four years of working together, with Swedish Magnus Norman joining the Italian player’s coaching staff.
Aryna Sabalenka said that she still believes in her ability to reach the semi-finals of the final round of the women's tennis season, despite losing 11 consecutive games during her defeat to the young Russian Mira Andreeva, 6-4, 6-0, on Wednesday.
The world's second seed was on her way to winning the first set after leading 4-1, but Andreeva, the 19-year-old French Open champion, turned the match upside down and completely controlled it, to seal the victory and secure the lead in the second set.
“She played really well,” Sabalenka told reporters. The positive thing is that my chance to qualify is still there, but the negative side is that I will need some time to recover after losing such a large number of consecutive games, which I don’t even know how many.”
The 28-year-old Belarusian player started the match perfectly after breaking Andreeva's serve in the fourth game and led 3-1, but the young Russian quickly turned the tide of the match, taking advantage of her opponent's low level and her many mistakes.
Sabalenka added: “It is not easy to play against her on any surface. It's not just about what you did in Indian Wells. “She moves well and shoots well.”
Sabalenka confirmed that she is determined to regain her balance in her last match in the group stage against Elina Svitolina, who revived her hopes of qualifying after her victory over Karolina Muchova with a score of 3-6, 6-2, 6-2.
She said: “Although things did not go as I wanted today, my enthusiasm is still very great.”
The Russian national anthem was played during the medal ceremony on the first day of the Youth Olympic Games, at an aquatics center in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, in a small but symbolic victory in Moscow's efforts to return to the international sports arena.
The International Olympic Committee suspended the membership of the Russian Olympic Committee in 2023 after the Russian Olympic Committee recognized the regional Olympic councils in the Ukrainian regions occupied by Russia.
But two years later, the International Olympic Committee said young athletes should not be held accountable for the actions of their governments, and urged federations to readmit young Russian athletes to international events without any restrictions.
The fruits of these directives were evident during the Games in Dakar, where 13 Russian athletes participated in nine competitions, including swimming, judo, and skateboarding.
Serafima Fokina, a 17-year-old swimmer, took first place in the women's 100-meter butterfly on the opening day. She stood on the podium with her gold medal hanging around her neck, and participated in singing the Russian national anthem with a smile on her face.
The promising swimmer told Reuters last week before winning another gold medal in the women's 50-meter butterfly: "Of course I was happy. How could I not be?" “I was proud of myself and my country.”
But not everyone present was happy. One spectator refused to stand during the playing of the Russian anthem.
“The Europeans, especially the European Union, strongly oppose this return,” Jean-Baptiste Gégan, a French expert on the geopolitics of sports, told Reuters.
The national federations in countries such as Norway, Denmark, and Sweden announced that their teams will not play against Russia in international competitions, and the Russian government sees the Russians’ participation as a political victory.
In a post on the Telegram app last month, Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev described the Youth Olympic Games in Senegal as “an important step towards the full return of all Russian sports to the international arena without any restrictions.”
Russian athletes participated in a neutral capacity in the 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2026 Milan/Cortina Winter Games.
The International Olympic Committee temporarily lifted the ban on the Russian Olympic Committee in July, in another step towards Russia's return to the international sporting arena.
But it must still decide whether Russia can raise its flag and play its national anthem at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
Moscow, which is suffering from sanctions, is trying to persuade every international sports federation to allow its athletes to participate. Sports federations, including aquatics and judo, have moved to ease or lift restrictions on Russian athletes, while the Athletics Federation still bans their participation.
In Senegal, as in other African countries, many people view Russia more positively than in the West. Among young Africans who describe Russia as an influential country, 83 percent say this influence is positive, according to a poll published in July by a Johannesburg-based foundation.
This reduced the likelihood of organized political opposition or public criticism, said Spencer Harris, a professor of sport management science at the University of Colorado.
He added that the Youth Olympic Games do not receive much global attention compared to other Olympic competitions.
The Dakar Games provided officials inside and outside the IOC with an opportunity to test the public's reactions to a possible change in the status of Russian athletes.
“A number of these leaders appear to be interested in finding ways for Russian athletes to gradually return to international competition, while at the same time maintaining a balance between the political and legal complexities surrounding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” Harris told Reuters.
