Tennis essentials, 29 September: Sinner’s knee concerns grow, Arthur Fils enters the top 10

The Asian swing is under way and the day revolved around a knee: Jannik Sinner’s, which ruled him out of this week’s ATP 500 in Beijing. The rest of the tour played finals in Hangzhou and Chengdu, and Arthur Fils celebrated his top 10 entry in his own way, by coming through Tokyo qualifying.

Sinner’s knee raises louder questions

The world No 1’s withdrawal from the China Open, which begins on Wednesday, has reignited the Italian debate over his knee. Former player Diego Nargiso fears the worst in We Love Tennis: “If, after two and a half months, we are still here, it means there is something more: either it is chronic or it is structural.” Corrado Barazzutti questions the scheduling: Sinner “could perhaps have skipped one of those two tournaments”. Carlos Alcaraz, for his part, misses his rival: “I hope to see him back on the tour soon, because I can’t wait to play against him.”

Medvedev wins the all-Russian final in Hangzhou

Daniil Medvedev beat his friend Andrey Rublev 7-5, 6-4 to win the ATP 250 in Hangzhou, their tenth meeting and only their second in a final. At the trophy ceremony Rublev smiled: “To be honest, I don’t quite know what to say to you. Over all these years, we have already said so many things to each other.” Medvedev replied: “Our results are not as good as before, but it is time for us to meet in a Masters 1000 final, and in five years, in a Grand Slam.”

Davidovich Fokina backs up Mallorca in Chengdu

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina beat Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 7-6 (7) to win the ATP 250 in Chengdu, saving four set points on the way. The Spaniard, ranked 28th, collects his second career title, three months after his first in Mallorca, having lost his first five tour-level finals. “It is not easy to give this speech, you can imagine why,” he said on court.

Fils enters the top 10 through qualifying

Arthur Fils is officially world No 9, the first Frenchman in the top 10 since Gaël Monfils in 2020 and the 13th since the rankings began in 1973. His week has an odd shape: an administrative error left him off the Tokyo main draw, so he beat Kamil Majchrzak in qualifying (6-2, 3-6, 6-1), a first for a top 10 player. On Wednesday he meets fellow Frenchman Luca Van Assche in the first round.

Djokovic returns to Beijing: six entries, six titles

Novak Djokovic is back at the China Open this week for the first time since 2015, with an intact record: six entries, six titles, 29 wins and no defeats. “My record in this tournament speaks for itself, it gives me the confidence I really need,” he said, adding that his body feels good after his first-round exit at the US Open.

Anisimova ends her season

Amanda Anisimova announced on Monday that her 2026 season is over: a relapse of the wrist injury that had already cost her almost the entire clay swing. After a 2025 season with two Grand Slam finals and a career-high No 3, the American spent two months out this spring and will not play again this year.