Jannik Sinner had to retire in the final of the Cincinnati Open against promising opponent Carlos Alcaraz after losing the first five games of the match and also because he was afflicted by sickness. The World No.1 had to apologise to the fans after losing third consecutive service game, 5-0 down in the first set. The odd circumstances awarded the trophy to Alcaraz since the showdown completed after only 20 minutes.
Sinner stated, Usually I start with the opponent but today I have to start with the crowd. I am very sorry to disappoint you. I did not feel well yesterday. I had thought that things could change overnight but it got even worse. I attempted to fight back to provide at least a short match, yet I failed. I am also sorry to all who have turned up and those who have realigned their Monday to be able to attend to this.
The larger issue at present is whether Sinner will recover in time to defend his US Open title that will start at New York on Sunday. His retirement also coincided with a spectacular 26-match streak on the hard courts and severed a streak of 12-straight matches of all surfaces.
Read more: Iga Świątek Wins Historic Cincinnati Open Title
In the meantime, Alcaraz once again will have a title to enjoy, whereas fans and tennis enthusiasts will be eager to find out whether Sinner can recover his full strength in time before the Cincinnati Open failure has a negative impact on his US Open title defence.
