Jannik Sinner withdraws from Shanghai Masters
The defending champion, Jannik Sinner, withdrew yesterday (5/10) from his third-round match at the Shanghai Masters 1000 against Dutch player Tallon Griekspoor (No. 31), as he was struggling with cramps in his right thigh, according to the ATP website.
The Italian player (World No. 2) began limping after a lateral sprint while trying to reach a ball at the end of the second set, which he lost 7-5 after winning the first set in a tiebreak (7-3), CE Report quotes ANA-MPA.
Sinner then went to the locker room for a few minutes, which is allowed at that stage, and continued the match.
However, as he limped increasingly and even returned supported to his chair for the side change at 3-2 in favor of Griekspoor in the third set, he decided to retire.
“It was a very unfortunate ending to a very high-quality match,” commented the Dutch player, adding: “This is not the way I like to win. I wish him a speedy recovery.”
Thus, after the last-minute withdrawal of Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, who was also injured shortly before the start of the tournament, the top two players in the world ranking are no longer participating in the Shanghai Masters 1000.
This is the second time this year that Sinner has retired mid-match. However, the reason for his first withdrawal, in the final of the Cincinnati tournament in August, was not a physical issue but an illness.
Earlier this year, in early July in London, the Italian fell on his right elbow during the round of 16 match at Wimbledon, a tournament he eventually won, and he has been wearing a sleeve on his right arm ever since.
