Jannik Sinner’s US Open preparations were given a huge boost as he lifted the Cincinnati Masters title, but former British No 1 Tim Henman believes he is only the third favourite to win the final Grand Slam of the year.

Sinner beat Frances Tiafoe to claim his fifth title of 2024 on Monday before that triumph was overshadowed by the news of his failed drug tests at Indian Wells in March.

The world No 1 twice tested positive for the banned substance clostebol, an anabolic agent that can aid muscle growth, but the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) accepted Sinner’s explanation that the substance had accidentally entered his system via a product one of his team had used to treat a small wound.

“For us mere mortals, not having matches in the build-up to a big tournament is a problem, but then you look at the greats of the game and it is irrelevant when we talk about a player like Djokovic,” Sky Sports Tennis analyst Henman told Tennis365 in an exclusive interview.

“Not playing on hard courts ahead of the US Open won’t be a problem to him because he is that good and we have seen in the past that he doesn’t need warm-up matches to play amazing tennis.

“His experience and confidence on the surface and the knowledge that he is so tough to beat in the best-of-five-set format counts for so much.

“Also the satisfaction of getting that Olympic gold means he will go into New York with so much energy, enthusiasm and confidence. It might even free him up a little knowing he has that gold medal he wanted so badly now.

“That’s one of the reasons why I would put Alcaraz and Djokovic ahead of Sinner for the US Open at this point.

“Sinner has those injury doubts and while we know how well he can play when he is at his best, you need to be 100 per-cent fit to get through two weeks, seven five-set matches. We just don’t know if Sinner is ready for that with this hip problem.”

Henman went on to suggest the battle between the American players ranked just outside the top 10 of the current ATP Rankings could be one of the most compelling sideshows for the home fans at the US Open.

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Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Ben Shelton and Seb Korda have been battling for the American No 1 ranking for most of the year, with Tiafoe’s run to the Cincinnati final putting him back in the spotlight heading to New York.

“You look at the ranking of the American players and they are all so close to each other, so there is a good battle going on there,” added Henman.

“Fritz, Paul, Shelton and Korda are all next to each other in the rankings at the moment so it will be interesting to see who comes out on top with those four. Tiafoe is also in the mix

“It’s always great for a tournament when a home player has a big run and the New York crowds love to cheer on an American.

“Then you look at a player like Jack Draper and I would be hopeful that he could get into the second week and it’s great to see Matteo Berrettini back fit and healthy. He would be a dangerous player for any of the top seeds to face early on.

“We might get a few more upsets this year as it’s been a strange season with the Olympics thrown in. From the first round of the French Open to the first round of New York is 14 weeks.

“If you think of the Olympics as an extra major, that’s four Grand Slams and two Masters series events in 14 weeks. It’s just a crazy calendar, so it’s virtually impossible for players to play well at every event.”

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