Jannik Sinner had everything going his way heading into the Cincinnati Open final. The world No. 1 was on a hot streak and even favored to beat Carlos Alcaraz in what should’ve been an epic showdown.
Then everything fell apart in just 20 minutes.
Sinner retired from the match before most fans had even settled into their seats. He looked awful from the first point, but nobody saw it coming since he’d seemed fine before the match started.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jannik Sinner | 24 | 15,405 | 33 - 3 |
The retirement threw a wrench into his US Open preparations too. Sinner had to pull out of the mixed doubles event at Flushing Meadows, and his whole schedule got turned upside down.
A virus knocked out the world’s best player
His coach Darren Cahill finally explained what happened during an ESPN interview. Turns out Sinner got hit by a virus that made it impossible to compete.
"Jannik suffered from a virus that forced him to retire against Alcaraz on Monday."
That’s pretty rough timing. Getting sick right before a big final is every athlete’s nightmare.
Playing catch-up at the US Open
While his biggest rivals have been practicing and playing mixed doubles matches in New York, Sinner’s been stuck recovering. Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Jack Draper, and Alexander Zverev have all been hitting balls and getting comfortable on the courts.
Sinner hasn’t even stepped foot on a practice court at Flushing Meadows yet.
But that’s about to change. Cahill says his player is feeling better and should finally start practicing on Thursday.
"I spoke with him briefly last night. He’s feeling a bit better now, he will rest today [Wednesday], that is the plan, and hopefully Thursday, he can get out on the court and start hitting some balls. We are confident he’s going to be fine."
The practice schedule confirms it. Sinner will train with Francisco Comesana starting at 11 a.m. ET on Court P1. After an hour, they’ll move to the main stage – Arthur Ashe Stadium – for another hour of practice.
Talk about jumping right back into the deep end.
The timing works out pretty interesting too. Right before Sinner takes Arthur Ashe, Alcaraz will be practicing there with Lorenzo Musetti. After Sinner finishes up, Djokovic and Zverev are scheduled to hit.
That means tennis fans might get some pretty cool behind-the-scenes content on social media. Seeing the world’s top players all practicing on the same court within a few hours? That’s the kind of stuff that gets people excited.
The big question now is whether Sinner can shake off the rust quickly enough. Missing several days of practice right before a Grand Slam isn’t ideal, especially when you’re the top seed and everyone’s gunning for you.
But if anyone can bounce back fast, it’s probably the guy who’s been playing the best tennis in the world this year.
