Tennis prolific star reveal reasons for his departure…..

Tennis great Martina Navratilova has predicted that Jannik Sinner will win the 2024 French Open “if his body holds up.”

The 18-time Grand Slam singles champion believes Sinner “still has to have a ton of confidence”, while she backed Alexander Zverev to be the Italian’s opponent in the final.

Sinner is the No 2 seed at Roland Garros and will face Christopher Eubanks in his opening match at the clay-court Grand Slam.

The 22-year-old is one of the favourites to win the title in Paris, although there are questions over his fitness due to the hip injury that has affected his preparations.

The injury caused Sinner to withdraw from the Madrid Open ahead of his quarter-final match against Felix Auger-Aliassime and also forced him to pull out of the Italian Open.

Sinner is looking to win his second Grand Slam title after claiming his maiden Major at the Australian Open in January. He is also seeking just his second title on clay to add to the ATP 250 event he won in Umag in 2022.

The world No 2 could meet Zverev in the final of the French Open as the German, who is seeded fourth, is in the top half of the draw. Zverev will face 14-time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal in a blockbuster first round match.