Jannik Sinner Confirms His Pre-US Open Plans Following Retirement at Cincinnati final

Jannik Sinner's US Open mixed doubles participation is now in doubt after retiring from the Cincinnati Open final.

Jannik Sinner Confirms His Pre-US Open Plans Following Retirement at Cincinnati final

Jannik Sinner (via X/Jannik Sinner Times)

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Jannik Sinner suffered a nightmare end to his impressive Cincinnati Open run after retiring in the final against Carlos Alcaraz. The Italian star was on a 26-match winning streak on hard courts and was in his best rhythm when he celebrated his 24th birthday after beating Terence Atmane in the semi-finals of the tournament.

But the World No.1 entered the Cincinnati final with a fever of around 38°C and was struck by flu symptoms after his semi-final win. The highly anticipated clash between him and Alcaraz didn’t go smoothly as he won just eight points in the five games played. Just 23 minutes into the encounter, he was down 0-5.

He then called the doctor and physio on to the court to treat his illness, which wasn’t getting any better under the humid conditions in Ohio. He retired shortly after that, with his upcoming US Open mixed doubles appearance in New York now in doubt. The 24-year-old has been scheduled to play alongside Katerina Siniakova in the mixed doubles event days after Emma Navarro’s withdrawal.

During his post-match press conference, he revealed that he’s now focused on getting ready physically and mentally for the US Open singles event, which starts on August 24. He added that he will take a couple of days to recover and then get back to work before the tournament kicks off in New York:

Yeah, I love Grand Slams a lot. These are the main tournaments for my season and for my career. So US Open is going to be a tough tournament, but at the same time, I’m looking forward to it. If I’m ready, physically and mentally, I will be ready to push. So as I said, now a couple of days of recovery, and then, you know, we get again back to work, and hopefully we’ll be ready. So for sure, the main goal here in the US.

Sinner will enter the US Open as the top seed and a defending champion, having lifted the title last year after beating Taylor Fritz in the final. The Italian star dropped just two sets throughout the tournament, first against Daniil Medvedev in the quarter-finals and then against Mackenzie McDonald in his opening match.

Despite failing to defend the Cincinnati Open, he will be hoping to win the US Open for the second consecutive time. He has two of the Grand Slams played this season, including the Wimbledon Championship last month.

Jannik Sinner picks positives from his Cincinnati Open run despite losing title

The Cincinnati Open was Jannik Sinner‘s first tournament since winning the Wimbledon Championships. The four-time Grand Slam winner opened his account at the event by beating Daniel Galan, Gabriel Diallo, Adrian Mannarino, and Felix Auger-Aliassime to reach the semi-finals, where he beat Terence Atmane in straight sets.

Jannik Sinner (3)
Jannik Sinner (Image via X/Jannik Sinner HQ)

Even though he eventually fell to Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the Cincinnati Open, Sinner believes that the tournament ended on a positive note for him. He added that it was also a good test to understand his level heading into the US Open:

Yeah, I feel like a very positive week. I mean, making finals of a Masters event, it’s always an amazing achievement. I feel like in the season I’m playing, it’s an incredible season. So we’ll keep going, keep pushing as I say. Now I already have some points where I need to improve if I want to go far in the US Open. And it was a good test this week, trying to understand where my level is. My level is in a good spot, for sure, but on the other hand, there’s still room to improve.

Sinner currently holds a 31-4 win-loss record on tour and was holding a 26-match winning streak on hard court before retiring against Alcaraz. The last time he lost on hard courts was against Alcaraz at the China Open final. He’s now 5-9 in his head-to-head record against the 22-year-old star.

Also Read: (Video) Jasmine Paolini Takes a Nasty Tumble During Cincinnati Open Quarterfinals Against Coco Gauff