Why Sinner withdrew from the Cincinnati final: his illness against Alcaraz and his participation in the US Open
The tournament in Ohio
He fell ill after just 23 minutes. "It was one of the hottest tournaments I've ever played." The Spaniard wrote on the camera: "Sorry Jannik." The New York tournament kicks off on August 24, the gossip and the rankings.
The retirement occurred just 23 minutes into the match. The outcome of the Cincinnati Masters 1000 final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz was unexpected and shocking. It was the most anticipated match, between the two phenomena who are dominating world tennis at the highest levels, clashing in already epic matches. The Italian surrendered, when he was down 5-0, due to an as yet unspecified illness . "I went out on court for the fans, but I can't do it. I feel too bad, I can't move," said the South Tyrolean tennis player, who is nevertheless expected at the last Grand Slam tournament of the year, the US Open .
Sinner was world number 1, Alcaraz ranked number 2. The Spaniard had won at Roland Garros, the Italian at Wimbledon. Sinner had already been broken in the first game and gone 2-0 down after a series of errors unbecoming of his class. Momentum caused the match to slip to 5-0. At the changeover, Sinner declared his retirement. Alcaraz's sixth title of the season, a week before the start of the US Open. The Spaniard immediately approached his opponent to show his solidarity, a further demonstration of the respect and great rivalry on the court. "Sorry Jannik," was the message written on the Spaniard's camera. Sinner apologized to the Cincinnati crowd, who responded with a standing ovation.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I haven't felt well since yesterday," Sinner said at the awards ceremony. "I hoped to improve, but I've gotten worse. I'm so sorry because many of you had other things to do today. Carlos, congratulations, this isn't the way you wanted, I wish you all the best for the rest of the season. Thank you to my team for pushing me every day. Thank you for your support and for understanding the situation. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but sometimes these situations happen and you have to know how to accept them. It was one of the most exciting tournaments I've ever played. Thank you for the support and to the people who came. Thanks also to the referees and the people who work behind the scenes. See you next year... hoping to be in better shape."
Jannik Sinner has not done a press conference here in Cincinnati but provided these quotes.
Would say Mixed Doubles tomorrow in NY has been ruled out but tbc.. pic.twitter.com/AOPosnqZ8X
— The First Serve (@TheFirstServeAU) August 18, 2025
In Cincinnati, the match was played in very high temperatures and high humidity . Sinner did not specifically mention these conditions as a reason for his withdrawal. He appeared tired throughout the match and did not attend the press conference. In a statement, he spoke of the need for at least "a couple of days of rest." Meanwhile, the media are buzzing about his illness: while joint problems have been ruled out, there's talk of possible food poisoning or a stomach virus, and rumors of his birthday, which was celebrated on August 16th in Cincinnati. These are just rumors, no verified confirmation. The US Open begins on August 24th, and he will certainly not be able to play today for the US Open mixed doubles match with Katerina Siniakova.
Sinner has so far won two other Grand Slam tournaments: the Australian Open and Wimbledon. Alcaraz won the Roland Garros. Alcaraz also won the other 2025 final against Sinner—recently returned from suspension for the clostebol scandal—at the Italian Open. On the eve of the New York tournament, at Flushing Meadows, the Spaniard is edging ever closer to the world number one ranking . “I didn't want to win like this, I'm sorry,” he said to Sinner. “I understand how you feel right now, I can't say anything you don't know. You're a great champion, and you'll come back even stronger, as you always have. That's what great champions do, and you are.” All attention is now focused on Sinner's presence and condition at the US Open, which he won last year. “I've already identified some areas where I need to improve if I want to go far, the first being my serve. We'll work hard on that and on my first serve percentage. Obviously, I also need to recover physically.” The tournament will end on September 8th.
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