Sinner’s Signature Sleeve: From Necessity to Ritual
Jannik Sinner isn’t just riding the high of a Wimbledon victory—he’s also shaping a new on-court look. After tweaking his right elbow during his dramatic run at Wimbledon, the 23-year-old Italian found that a plain white compression sleeve became almost as recognizable as his two-handed backhand. Now, with his elbow fully healed, he’s weighing up whether to make that sleeve a permanent fixture.
Sinner picked up the injury during a tough fourth-round match against Grigor Dimitrov. It was one of those moments you could almost hear across Centre Court—a slip, a stray landing, the sort of thing that makes anybody’s stomach tighten. But Sinner kept going. He wrapped the sleeve around his arm, and not only powered through the rest of that match, he powered all the way to a fourth Grand Slam title, defeating Carlos Alcaraz in the final. While Dimitrov left the tournament with a torn pec, Sinner finished in a blaze of glory—elbow, sleeve, and all.
Fast forward to Cincinnati, his first tournament since his historic win. Sinner returned looking energetic and focused, clearly having made the most of his break. He’d stayed away from the practice courts for a while, hung out with family and friends, and let his body—and mind—catch up from the grind of a Grand Slam run. At his media session, he fielded questions about the elbow sleeve almost as much as about his on-court preparations for the US Open summer swing. 'The elbow is good,' Sinner said, almost brushing off the injury talk. 'Today was the first time that I put a sleeve on because I liked the feeling of the sleeve. It gives a little bit more impact with the ball, it’s slightly more stable.'
A Style and Strategy Choice, Not a Health Concern
So why stick with the sleeve if the elbow is fully healed? Sinner’s answer is simple: it just feels good. Unlike some players who keep wearing protective gear out of habit or for peace of mind, Sinner views the sleeve almost like a piece of equipment that gives him a subtle boost. He admits it might even help sharpen his sense of the racket and ball, offering a smidge more precision and control on his shots. 'I really love the feeling it gives of pure striking,' he explained, leaving the impression that this extra comfort on court may help him stretch his lead at the top of the ATP rankings.
Medical experts see Sinner’s choice as more about fine-tuning performance than guarding against re-injury. Compression sleeves are sometimes used for proprioceptive feedback—basically, making an athlete more aware of how their joint moves. For Sinner, that subtle feedback, plus the mental comfort of something that brought him Grand Slam success, might be all the reason he needs.
He admits there’s still a decision to make when the weather’s sticky and hot—it’s one thing to love a sleeve in the cool of Wimbledon, another in the Cincinnati humidity. For now, though, it looks like the tennis world will keep seeing Sinner with that trademark white band on his arm, hoping for another run of dominance as the US Open nears.
