Jannik Sinner has explained that he refused to have surgery despite missing the Olympics with tonsillitis.

The world No. 1 said it “broke his heart” to miss the Paris 2024 Games.

He is now back in action at this week’s Canadian Open, where he is the reigning champion.

Sinner is already back to winning ways in Montreal, as he has partnered with British No. 1 Jack Draper in the doubles and they have already reached the third round. He will now start his singles campaign against Borna Coric.

It will be the Italian’s first singles match since Wimbledon as he was forced to pull out of the Olympics with tonsillitis. It’s not the first time illness has stopped Sinner from competing at a big event. But he has now revealed that he opted against having surgery that would have helped avoid future issues.

“The tonsils were not removed because that would require a little more time for recovery,” the 22-year-old told Ziggo Sport after arriving in Canada. Sinner also opened up on his illness during his pre-tournament press conference and admitted that he couldn’t practice for days.

He explained: “Tonsillitis was tough, I took antibiotics for almost a week and didn’t touch the racket for days. When I left for Canada, I wasn’t in perfect condition, now I feel much better and stronger every day.”

While the world No. 1 is happy to be back in time for his title defence in Canada, he was hit hard by his Olympics withdrawal. “I saw some of the Olympics, although I didn’t watch much tennis. It broke my heart not to be able to go to Paris, the Games were one of my main goals of the season,” he added.