When Jannik Sinner fell short in a tightly contested battle at the French Open last year, the disappointment was evident. He made his way quietly to the bench, sitting beside his kit, hands covering his face as he took in the moment. It was a scene of heartbreak, but also, perhaps, the beginning of something else.

Nearly a year on, Sinner returned to the clay with renewed purpose. He kicked off his season with an impressive win in Monte Carlo against Carlos Alcaraz, and from there, looked increasingly sharp on the surface. Naturally, expectations followed him to Madrid, where he arrived chasing another Masters title. But just as momentum seemed to be building, a concerning update cast doubt over his chances of putting together a deep run at the Madrid Open.

According to a report by La Gazzetta dello Sport, Sinner had held his second practice session in the Spanish capital on Monday. While everything seemed normal at first, the 24-year-old started feeling discomfort on his shoulder by the end of the session. With the Madrid Open being right around the corner, this was the last thing that the Italian would have wanted.

With a jam-packed schedule ahead of him that includes the Rome Masters and French Open, Sinner will be hoping that the situation isn’t anything serious. Though he hasn’t had any serious fitness issues in the past, injuries can strike a player at any moment.

It will be a huge blow for the tournament organizers of the Madrid Masters if Sinner decides to withdraw. This is because a significant number of headline stars have already pulled out of the tournament and the list keeps on increasing further.

Carlos Alcaraz has already decided to miss the event at the Spanish capital due to the wrist injury that he recently sustained at the Barcelona Open. The setback looks to be quite serious and could see the Spaniard miss out at the Rome Masters as well that will commence from May 6.

On the other hand, Novak Djokovic has also pulled out of the Madrid Masters as he is still recovering from the right shoulder injury that he had picked up at the Indian Wells Masters. The Serb has already been out of action for over a month now and is yet to begin his clay-court season.

If this wasn’t all, then both Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe have also pulled out from the Madrid Open. While Fritz has taken the decision due to issues with his knee, neither Tiafoe nor his team have revealed the reason behind his sudden withdrawal.

Additionally, Holger Rune’s absence will continue as he is still recovering from the ACL injury that he had picked up last year at the Stockholm Open.

It is safe to say that the tournament’s stocks will plummet hard if Sinner also decides to withdraw. While it remains to be seen whether the Italian will compete in Madrid or not, his potential path for the tournament has come out.

Jannik Sinner’s potential draw for the Madrid Open revealed

Due to his high ranking, Sinner will begin his campaign from the Round of 64. He will be coming up against a qualifier in the opening round and could face last year’s quarterfinalist Gabriel Diallo in his second round of the competition.

Sinner could be in for quite a tough match in the third round as either one of Tommy Paul or Cameron Norrie could be his opponents. If he makes it through there, then he could go on to face Alex de Minaur in the quarterfinals. Youngsters Rafael Jodar and Joao Fonseca could also potentially be the 24-year-old’s opponents in the last 8.

Notably, Sinner is yet to make it past the quarterfinals at the Madrid Masters and will be aiming to end the wait this time around if he decides to participate. His semifinal opponents could be Lorenzo Musetti, Ben Shelton or Arthur Fils.

Shelton and Fils recently clinched titles in Munich and Barcelona respectively. Any of the three players can give Sinner a hard time on the court and he will likely have to dig deep in order to get the better of them.

If he makes it past all these obstacles and makes it to his fifth Masters final in a row, then Sinner could come up against either Alexander Zverev or Felix Auger-Aliassime. While the World No. 1 had defeated both of them on his way to the final at the Monte Carlo Open, this time he could end up meeting them in the penultimate match itself.

What do you think of Sinner’s potential path for the Madrid Masters? Let us know your opinion in the comments!