Following a victory over Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon championship, Jannik Sinner did not seem to be at his best on Monday during a subsequent contest between the two rivals, who also happen to be the world’s top two players.
Sinner withdrew due to an apparent sickness during the opening set of Monday’s Cincinnati Open championship match against Alcaraz, after falling behind 5-0. Sinner remained on the court for the award ceremony and addressed his condition while speaking to the audience. He did not specify the ailment, but indicated that he “didn’t feel well.”
“I’m extremely sorry to disappoint you,” Sinner expressed. “Since yesterday, I have not felt well. I had hoped that I would feel better overnight, but it unfortunately got worse.
“I attempted to come out and play at least a short match. But I was unable to continue.”
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Sinner’s withdrawal comes just days before the commencement of the US Open. The initial round of matches is scheduled to begin on Sunday.
Sinner is the current US Open titleholder and is aiming for his third Grand Slam title this year, having already won at Wimbledon and the Australian Open. His early withdrawal on Monday brings up obvious questions regarding his ability to defend his title as he seeks a fifth Grand Slam title in his career.
In related news, on the women’s side, Iga Swiatek overcame Jessica Paolini in consecutive sets to secure her first Cincinnati Open singles title. Swiatek, seeded No. 3, defeated No. 7 Paolini in straight sets, 7-5, 6-4, prevailing over the young Italian in a closely contested encounter. It was another notable performance from the six-time Grand Slam winner, although Swiatek’s path to the Cincinnati Open title became more straightforward after world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka was surprisingly defeated in straight sets during the quarterfinals.
Sinner was not performing at his peak from the beginning
Sinner appeared to be struggling from the very beginning, under the mid-afternoon sun, on a day when the temperature reached 88 degrees in Cincinnati. Sinner served first and immediately gave Alcaraz a 40-0 advantage in the game, before Alcaraz ultimately took a 1-0 lead.
Sinner began his second service game with a double fault, leading to another 40-0 deficit, before Alacaraz broke his serve again, resulting in a 3-0 lead. Sinner then requested a bag of ice during the break between games. In his third service game, Sinner committed a double fault while trailing 40-30, allowing Alcaraz to secure his third break and a 5-0 lead.
Following this, Sinner called for a trainer. Shortly after, the chair umpire announced Sinner’s withdrawal from the match. Alcaraz then consoled his opponent as Sinner sat, visibly upset, on the bench. Once the match was officially concluded, Alacaraz wrote on the TV camera lens, “Sorry Jannik.”
Will Sinner be prepared for the US Open?
Monday’s championship match was highly anticipated as the final warm-up competition before the US Open. The match marked the 15th meeting between the two players overall, and the fourth time this year that they met in a tournament final.
Alcaraz defeated Sinner in a memorable, five-set French Open final that was immediately recognized as one of the greatest tennis matches in history. One month later, Sinner defeated Alcaraz in four sets to win his first Wimbledon title in the second Grand Slam final of the year to feature the two stars.
However, Monday’s rematch failed to live up to expectations because of Sinner’s illness. With the victory, Alcaraz’s record against Sinner improves to 9-5 overall, and he has won six of their most recent seven matches.
Attention now shifts to the US Open, where Sinner will hope to recover and compete for a potential third Grand Slam final of the year against Alcaraz.
