Jannik Sinner, who is a finalist in the U.S. Open, needs to rest after his match against Taylor Fritz on Sunday in New York. As a result, he will not play in the Davis Cup Finals group stage next week in Bologna. Italy’s captain, Filippo Volandri, announced this decision on Saturday.
“As far as Jannik goes, who told us he was available for the later stages of the competition in Bologna, in accordance with the federation leaders and his staff, we decided to relieve him of his call-up and allow him a full recovery,” Volandri said in a team announcement.
Sinner, who was recently cleared of a doping case, won his semifinal match against Jack Draper at the U.S. Open on Friday.
Italy will instead be represented by Matteo Berrettini, Matteo Arnaldi, Flavio Cobolli, Andrea Vavassori, and Simone Bolelli. Lorenzo Musetti, an Olympic bronze medalist, also needs rest and asked not to play, according to Volandri.
Sinner helped Italy win the Davis Cup last year by defeating Novak Djokovic in both singles and doubles during the semifinals against Serbia and then securing the winning point in the final against Australia by beating Alex de Minaur.
Italy’s matches in the group stage include a game against Brazil on Wednesday, followed by matches against Belgium on Friday and the Netherlands on Sunday.
Group play will also take place in Valencia, Spain; Zhuhai, China; and Manchester, England.
The top two teams from each group will move on to the final eight in Malaga, Spain, from November 19-24.
Sinner faced criticism last year when he chose not to participate in the group phase in Bologna. However, the criticism faded as he led Italy to victory and won his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January.
