Jannik Sinner failed to defend his Cincinnati Masters title. World no. 1 trailed 5-0 in Monday's final against Carlos Alcaraz before retiring, not feeling well and playing miles below his best.
The Italian wanted to respect his rival and the crowd despite struggling with illness for two days. However, he could not finish the duel, especially not after starting the final at 3 p.m. local time!
After the match, Jannik admitted he needs a couple of days to recover and prepare for the US Open title defense, which likely rules out his mixed doubles participation.
TENIS 🎾
🏆 Carlos Alcaraz se proclama CAMPEÓN del Masters 1000 de Cincinnati tras la retirada de Jannik 🇮🇹 cuando el murciano vencía 5-0.
🥵 Un desconocido italiano, previsiblemente por el calor, nos privó de disfrutar del partido. #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/fWSKtEYZjR
— La Prórroga RM (@LaProrrogaRM) August 18, 2025
The US Open mixed doubles event starts on Tuesday, and Sinner is scheduled to compete alongside Katerina Siniakova against Belinda Bencic and Alexander Zverev at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
However, the four-time Major winner will likely skip that opening challenge in New York and give his body time to recover ahead of his singles duties. Jannik is the defending champion in New York.
He wants to embrace another deep run and keep the ATP throne away from Alcaraz, who is in a good position to pass him. The 23-year-old will lead the draw at the final Major event of the season.
Jannik Sinner, Cincinnati 2025© Stream screenshot
He hopes to extend his hard-court dominance and claim the fourth straight Major title on the most common surface. For that, he needed to be 100% physically, especially ahead of the best-of-five challenges.
Thus, Sinner will almost certainly miss the US Open mixed doubles and enjoy a week off the court ahead of the ultimate challenges.
"Now I will take a couple of days to recover, then I will get back to work, hoping to be ready. The US Open is my main goal in the United States," Jannik Sinner said.
