‘I had to give up, it’s hard to accept’ Jannik Sinner breaks down after his retirement from the Miami Masters quarterfinals
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Jannik Sinner
After a scintillating display against Nick Kyrgios, Jannik Sinner was the favourite to go through to the semifinals at the 2022 Miami Masters. But the story ended in yet another heartbreak for the Italian youngster as Sinner was forced to withdraw the quarterfinal clash against Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo due to blisters on his foot.
Cerundolo was leading the first set 4-1 as Sinner announced that he could not continue any more and was down with disappointment. He had to give up as the blister grew and became too painful for him to continue.
It has been a tough month for the young Italian as he had to hand a walkover from the Indian Wells round of 16 clash against Kyrgios as he was down with an illness. Never in his life would he have hoped for another withdrawal in the Miami Open especially when he was playing so well en route to the quarterfinals being the runner-up from last year.
‘I could not move’: Jannik Sinner on his withdrawal from the Miami Open quarterfinals
After bowing out of the tournament, Sinner shared his story at the press conference and was on the verge of breaking down in front of the media. He said, “I had blisters and I couldn’t move. I started noticing them yesterday (Wednesday), in the last game against Kyrgios. Today I wanted to go out there and try, but it didn’t work out.
“In the first game, I slipped on the court and felt even worse, from then on I couldn’t move. He hit a short ball, I went for it and slid to hit the backhand. That’s when it happened, and I felt much worse than yesterday. It’s very difficult for me: I played two tournaments recently, Indian Wells and Miami, and in both cases, I had to give up. It’s hard to accept,” the Italian added.
Ranked 11th in the World, Sinner is easily one of the best players around and is improving with every match on tour. Sinner had a great run at the Miami Open as he started proceedings against Emil Ruusuvuori with a comfortable win followed by a tricky test against Pablo Carreno Busta. He also showed great composure and resolve in his win against Nick Kyrgios, a match which was marred by controversies as the Australian had an altercation with the match umpire.
Francisco Cerundolo will face Casper Ruud in the semifinals of the Miami Open
But agony for Sinner resulted in ecstasy for Argentine tennis star Francisco Cerundolo who on his ATP-1000 debut has reached the semifinals. Currently ranked 103 in the world, Cerundolo will receive a huge ranking boost for his great surge at the Miami Open.
The 23-year-old was not aware of his opponent’s health as he was concerned for the Italian. “I didn’t know anything,” Cerundolo said in his on-court interview. “When I was serving at 3-1, 30/0, I saw him bending down. It was really strange. I didn’t see anything wrong and I hope he is ok, he is a great player. It means a lot [to advance]. It is everything I have dreamed of.”
Cerundolo will now face World No. 8 Casper Ruud in the semifinals of the Miami Open. The Norwegian tennis star has also caused an upset by defeating Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals as he reached his first ATP 1000 semifinals on hardcourt. It will be a great clash between two players who hardly have anything to lose and one of them will get the opportunity to get a shot at the title in the finals.
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