Jannik Sinner’s retirement from the Cincinnati Open final marked a desperately sad ending to what had been a really strong event from the world number one.
In what had been an otherwise perfect title defence, illness had struck the night before his latest showdown with Carlos Alcaraz, and he could not shake it in time for the clash.
His frailty was evident from the very start, as he slumped to a swift 5-0 deficit.
Briefly overseen by the physio, Jannik Sinner made the tough decision to retire from the final, in what was a truly sad state of affairs.
And whilst the tennis world over has sent tributes to the 24-year-old, one pundit was left somewhat skeptical.
Jannik Sinner’s confusing decision before the Cincinnati Open final
Speaking live on Sky Sports in the aftermath, Jonathan Overend was naturally sympathetic.
However, he did question one odd decision made by the Italian directly before the final, admitting: “The one really confusing thing for me is yesterday Jannik Sinner effectively re-entered the mixed doubles at the US Open. He repaired with Katerina Siniakova.
“I mean why on Earth did he do that if he wasn’t feeling well? Or more to the point, why did someone on his team do that? Because there is absolutely no way that he can turn up and play the mixed doubles tomorrow.”
Ryan Harrison, his fellow commentator, added: “I think he will be withdrawing now. My assumption would be when you have day one with sickness coming on, you get a bit of a sore throat, and you hope it’s going to be a one day thing, maybe I will wake up tomorrow and this could be allergies.
“I think it was apparent after a night’s sleep he woke up feeling worse and felt like a real sickness was coming on. Now it’s focus on getting healthy and ready to go for New York City.”
Sinner did explain the reason for his retirement, in a downhearted post-match interview in front of a sad Cincinnati Open crowd.
Jannik Sinner must regroup for the US Open
Illness is an issue that can affect any player on any given day, and sometimes it is just luck of the draw.
On this occasion, it struck him down on the eve of yet another monumental clash against his generational rival, who almost always pushes him to the brink when they face one another.
To beat the Spaniard, he has to be perfect, and with illness coursing through his body, he simply could not reach that level.
Hopefully he can now rest, likely skipping the US Open’s mixed doubles event, in order to return for the singles draw fresh and ready to tackle the final Grand Slam of the year.
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