World No. 1 Jannik Sinner looked off from the beginning of the well publicized and highly anticipated fourth match of the year between himself and Carlos Alcaraz. He went down 0-5 and called for the physio.
Sinner spent a few minutes talking with the physio before taking off his arm sleeve and shaking hands with Alcaraz. Alcaraz was as stunned as the fans.
Jannik Sinner retires down 0-5 in the Cincinnati final.
Carlos Alcaraz wins his 8th career Masters 1000 title.
Beautiful scenes in the end between both players. pic.twitter.com/wivVjOCQVD
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) August 18, 2025
What Jannik Sinner’s Retirement Means
Carlos Alcaraz is the 2025 Cincinnati Open champion. His last two opponents, Alexander Zverev and Sinner, played impaired. Alcaraz is a competitor so this is not how he wants to win, particularly in the first hardcourt encounter with Sinner, who is widely known as the best hardcourt player in the men’s game right now.
Sinner has time to recover; he would not be involved in main draw US Open play before Sunday. He is the defending US Open champion.
However, it seems unlikely that he will play in tomorrow’s US Open Mixed Doubles championship. Sinner was originally scheduled to play with Emma Navarro. She withdrew a few days ago, and yesterday he teamed up with Katerina Siniakova.
Sinner Apologized To Fans
Jannik Sinner after retiring from the Cincinnati final against Carlos Alcaraz
“Usually I start with the opponent but today I have to start with you guys. I’m super super sorry to disappoint you. From yesterday I didn’t feel great. I thought I would improve during the night. It… pic.twitter.com/3uQ0qCNklm
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 18, 2025
Jannik Sinner proceeded with the trophy ceremony. In his speech, he apologized to the fans who took off work and could not see a full match.
He said that he did not feel well on Sunday and hoped that it would pass. Sinner reported that he did not feel well on Monday either but hoped to play anyway.
Sinner mentioned that it was hot during the tournament but did not go into detail about his illness.
