Sinner's withdrawal in Cincinnati casts shadows over the US Open

It was perhaps the heat, perhaps the stifling humidity of Cincinnati, or perhaps indigestion after celebrating his twenty-fourth birthday last Saturday, but the truth is that Jannik Sinner, the unbeatable man, the world-ranked leader, began to feel unwell this Sunday, the day before the Cincinnati Masters 1000 final against Carlos Alcaraz. The Italian held on, of course he could, endured the fever, the nausea, and trusted that his body would improve with sleep. How surprised he was to discover that on Monday morning, on the day of the match, his health had worsened. The San Candido native still made his way to the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason and, in front of 12,000 spectators, and more importantly, against Alcaraz, he tried to do the impossible.

There was no way, of course. Before the half-hour mark of the final, with the Spaniard about to close out the first set—unusual timing for such a heavy score— Sinner said enough . Sitting on the bench, the 24-year-old Italian clasped his hands together, covered his face, and communicated what many considered improbable. “I feel out of energy,” he declared, to the astonishment of the two tournament doctors brought to his bench. “I’m so sorry, guys.”

The Italian, world number one despite the increasingly pressing threat from Alcaraz, champion this season in Rotterdam, Monte Carlo, Rome, Roland Garros , Queen's, and Cincinnati, left one of the most surprising images of the rivalry that dominates the men's tour. A withdrawal that, without apparent injury, without sprains or muscle cramps, fell like a millstone on the immaculate blue of Cincinnati. A regret that, shrouded in mystery, increased even more minutes later, when Sinner skipped the protocolary press conference before the media accredited to the tournament.

It was minutes later, however, in a written statement shared on the ATP website, when the Italian shed some light on his immediate future: “I love the Grand Slams; they're the main goals of my season and my career. The US Open will be tough, but at the same time, I'll go for it. If I'm physically and mentally prepared, I'll be ready to push. Now, a couple of days of recovery, and then back to work. Hopefully I'll be ready, because that's my main goal on this US tour. In any case, the most important thing now is to recover.”

Thus, Sinner clarified two aspects of his immediate roadmap. The first is that despite his withdrawal from Cincinnati, his intention is to play in the singles draw in New York, where starting next Sunday he will defend the 2,000 ranking points he earned last year, when he won the title after crushing American Taylor Fritz in the final . The second, perhaps somewhat more covert, is that the Italian will not participate in the mixed doubles, which has generated so much excitement in the first week of the US Open.

Initially paired with New Yorker Emma Navarro, Sinner was left without a partner last week when the WTA No. 11 announced she would ultimately skip the mixed draw. The Italian then reversed his plan to partner with Czech Katerina Siniakova, one of the best doubles players on the circuit, although, as US Open director of doubles relations Eric Butorac hinted on Monday, Sinner did raise the possibility of partnering Serena Williams , who retired from professional tennis in 2022, with the organizers.

Having rejected the offer, the Italian embraced Siniakova as a partner for a tournament whose opening day takes place this afternoon, less than 24 hours after the Cincinnati final. However, after withdrawing in Mason, Siniakova appears determined not to show up for the first-round match against Alexander Zverev and Belinda Bencic (scheduled for Tuesday no earlier than 7:30 p.m.).

Alcaraz, who did speak to the press after the bitter victory—but a victory nonetheless—in Cincinnati, took the opportunity to clarify his intentions for the mixed doubles in New York, where he is paired with Britain's Emma Raducanu . "The schedule isn't the best, it's true, but I love the concept of the tournament; I'll try to give my all to help Emma win," he stated just hours before flying to the Big Apple, where, if all goes according to plan, he will play starting at 7:30 p.m. against the duo of Jack Draper and Jessica Pegula.

Later, when the mixed doubles show concludes, the main event will arrive: the singles draw of the final Grand Slam of the season. Eliminated in the second round last year when he collapsed against Botic Van de Zandschulp , Alcaraz has many points to gain in this US Open. So many that his chances of taking the world number one spot from Sinner are increasingly real. The Italian is the reigning tournament champion, so he has no room for improvement. Thus, to regain the ranking throne, the Murcian has two options: win the title or, more conservatively, surpass what the San Candido native achieves in New York. Either way, the duel is on.