Jannik Sinner is currently enjoying a stunning winning streak, having claimed victory in the last three tournaments he participated in: all ATP Masters 1000 events, the Indian Wells Masters, the Miami Open, and the Monte-Carlo Masters.
Sinner is currently in Spain for the 2026 Madrid Open, and ahead of his run at the tournament, CoCo Vandeweghe asked whether the World No. 1 might withdraw from Madrid to rest before competing in his home tournament, the 2026 Italian Open.
Jannik Sinner Will Withdraw From Madrid Open To Compete at Italian Open, Says CoCo Vandeweghe
Last year at the Italian Open, Sinner defeated Mariano Navone, Jesper de Jong, Francisco Cerúndolo, Casper Ruud, and Tommy Paul to reach the final. In the championship match, he faced Carlos Alcaraz and finished as the runner-up.
Recently, while speaking on Tennis Channel, Vandeweghe was asked whether she believed Sinner would skip the Italian Open. In response, the former World No. 9 stated that she believes Sinner would “absolutely” participate in Rome, as it is his home tournament. However, she mentioned that there is a possibility he might “not finish” competing at the Madrid Open to focus on the Italian Open.
“I think he absolutely plays Rome. I think that if we’re going to go into the betting mindset of the field versus Sinner, it’s hard to pick the field. But I would pick the field mainly because of that winning streak that he’s on.”
Vandeweghe expressed that it is more likely for Sinner to withdraw from Madrid than from the Italian Open, noting that playing in Rome is “special” for Italian players. She suggested that the World No. 1 may not withdraw from his opening match but could pull out later in the tournament.
“There is a possibility that he does not finish this tournament. There’s a possibility that maybe he pulls out because I think he plays Rome,” Vandeweghe said. “I just think he’s tired (in Madrid) or doesn’t finish.”
“I think Rome is just something that is special for all the Italian players. You see how many of these Italian players rise to the occasion and have the opportunity to play there? He’s going to do it, especially since last year he didn’t play anything before Rome. And so Rome was when we first got to see him play,” she added.
Looking towards Sinner’s first singles match at the 2026 Madrid Open, he is the top seed and will begin his campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. He is set to face qualifier Benjamin Bonzi in his opening match.
Bonzi earned his spot in the main draw of the ATP Masters 1000 clay court tournament in Spain by defeating Darwin Blanch (6-3, 7-6(2)) in the first qualifying round and eliminating Diego Dedura (6-2, 6-1) in the second qualifying round. He advanced to the second round of the main draw by triumphing over qualifier Titouan Droguet (6-7(4), 7-6(4), 6-4) in the first round.
Sinner and Bonzi have faced each other three times on the ATP Tour, with the World No. 1 winning all three matches. Their most recent encounter was in the first round of the 2023 ABN AMRO Open, where Sinner secured a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 victory. He then went on to finish as the runner-up to Daniil Medvedev.
The winner of the second-round match between Sinner and Bonzi at the 2026 Madrid Open will go on to face either the 32nd seed Gabriel Diallo or qualifier Elmer Møller in the third round of the tournament.
