The Shanghai Masters this season turned into what many players didn’t expect it to be. Their worst nightmare. This time, the Masters event is getting too hot to handle. So much so, the overwhelming heat in the city took a toll on stars like Taylor Fritz, Novak Djokovic, and now Jannik Sinner. The World No.2 was forced to give up on his quest to defend the Shanghai crown. In the wake of this shocking outcome, Serena Williams’ ex-coach has shared his honest take.

On October 5, during the third-round match against Tallon Griekspoor, Sinner suffered cramps and ultimately walked off the court, realizing there was no way he could continue. This was followed by some chatter speculating if the Italian’s move was intentional. However, Patrick Mouratoglou took a moment to debunk several unwanted conjectures regarding Sinner’s withdrawal from the Shanghai Masters. On his IG, Serena Williams’ ex-coach dropped a clip, and dismissed claims that Sinner pulled himself out of the event “on purpose”. According to the coach, what the Italian “had to endure was brutal — a classic example of what it’s like to play in extreme humidity.” In the video, he revealed, “To explain Sinner’s cramps, there is only one word: Humidity.”

Mentioning other top stars who had a similar issue, Mouratoglou continued, “Fritz had the same problem. We saw Novak Djokovic throw up two times.” During his match against Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, Fritz was seen exhausted on the court due to extreme heat, while eventually losing. Djokovic, on the other hand, was seen throwing up in his second round battle against Yannick Hanfmann on Sunday. Obviously, the reason was heat and growing humidity at the venue. Mouratoglou noted, “It is not the first time he (Sinner) had cramps. He had cramps against Carlos (Alcaraz) in Roland Garros. But this (Shanghai) was tension.”

The point was clear. The conditions were so intense at the Shanghai Masters this time that Sinner wasn’t able to continue. Mouratoglou then suggested few ways how the Italian may tackle such situations going forward. Per him, “his team will probably organize differently next time he is going to play in such conditions. Probably increase the drinking also before the match, because during the match at a certain point you cannot drink more.”

While his avid fans will hope for him to recover and step back on the court, Sinner has lost a crucial opportunity with his withdrawal from the ATP 1000 event. Apart from missing out the chance to reclaim the trophy, he has also lost the momentum in the year-end No.1 race.

Jannik Sinner’s Shanghai withdrawal gives edge to rival Carlos Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz dethroned Jannik Sinner from the No.1 spot last month after he defeated him in the US Open final. However, there were still hopes for the Italian to make a comeback in order to take the position back before the end of the season. But after what happened in Shanghai, although unfortunate, his chances look bleak. Had Sinner successfully defended the Rolex Shanghai Masters title, he would have pulled 1,590 points of his rival, putting him in position to make a charge for year-end No. 1 at the end of the season.

It seems Alcaraz is going to stay No.1 and take the year-end crown. Currently, the Spaniard leads the Italian by 2,540 ranking points in the live rankings ahead of the ATP Finals in Turin. It serves as the measuring tool for the year-end No.1 battle.

While he has not lost the entire hope of reclaiming the throne, Sinner will have to be near-perfect going forward. Next up, he will compete in Vienna. After that, he will enter the last Masters event of the season in Paris. And then he will look to defend his ATP Finals title in Turin. If he wins all these three tournaments, he can get to a maximum of 3,000 ranking points.

Now Alcaraz is expected to play two more events: the Paris Masters and the ATP Finals. Winning them both will award him 2,500 ranking points if he does not accept a wildcard invitation to any other event.

Moving forward, if only Alcaraz comes across early rounds loss of his remaining campaigns (Paris and Turin), only in that scenario can the Italian snatch that year-end No.1 crown.