The hype for the Cincinnati Open final was unreal. Just weeks after Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz faced off in the Wimbledon finals, the duo were ready to go at it in Cincinnati. Alcaraz was in search of redemption after losing to Sinner on the grass court in London, and things seemed to be going in his favor early on. Unfortunately, things took a tragic turn when Sinner threw in the towel down 5-0.

Soon, Carlos Alcaraz had his wish of avenging the Wimbledon loss, as Sinner had to retire due to an unspecified health issue. It was a devastating end that even Alcaraz didn’t want. “I’m so sorry for Jannik! Nobody likes to win because their opponent retires,” the Spaniard wrote post-match on social media. However, he wasn’t the only one, as fellow Italian Jasmine Paolini also spoke about the ill-fated final.

“Thanks to the audience for staying; it wasn’t easy after that final,” the Italian tennis star said, thanking the audience for their empathy toward Sinner. “We all wish Jannik the best for the US Open; we hope he recovers,” the Cincinnati Open finalist said, drawing a round of applause from the audience. And why wouldn’t they? After all, Paolini had just lost the final against Iga Swiatek but was concerned about her compatriot.

“I’m sure you’ll see those two guys in the finals in the coming years because they are just too good, simply too good!” Paolini added, as per Sky Sports’ Giovanni Pelazzo. Carlos Alcaraz agreed with the sentiment, saying that this was nothing more than an unfortunate blip in his rival’s path. The 22-year-old spoke from experience, having faced Jannik Sinner 11 times.

“You are truly a champion, and I’m pretty sure that from this situation you’re going to come back even stronger. You always do, and that’s what really true champions does. So sorry, and come back stronger.” Alcaraz said while speaking to the press. What’s more? Depending on the severity of Sinner’s health complications, he could be back in action next week.

What went wrong for Jannik Sinner?

The fact that something was off became apparent from the first few serves. Sinner was uncharacteristically sloppy early on and missed three of his four opening serves. Now, that’s not something the 2025 Wimbledon champion does often. The errors kept mounting as Sinner’s face looked flushed, and as Alcaraz stormed to a 5-0 lead, the Italian knew he couldn’t continue.

“I’m super sorry to disappoint you,” Jannik Sinner said after the match. While many suspected the 31°C (87°F) heat and 57% humidity were the reason behind Sinner feeling ill. Images of Arthur Rinderknech collapsing due to the sweltering heat against Felix Auger-Aliassime less than a week ago are still fresh in everyone’s mind. However, the tennis star explained he hadn’t been feeling well long before setting foot on the court.

“From yesterday, I didn’t feel great. I thought that I would improve during the night,” he explained. However, the Cincinnati Open finalist only got worse. Although the competitor in Sinner didn’t let him quit, the 24-year-old just couldn’t continue. “It came up worse. I tried to come out and make it at least a small match, but I couldn’t handle more,” added Sinner.

This unfortunate turn of events means that Jannik Sinner’s US Open mixed doubles dream is over. Sinner paired up with Kateřina Siniaková for the US Open mixed doubles starting Tuesday, but he won’t be able to play after what happened in the final. “Now, a couple of days of recovery, and then, you know, we get again back to work, and hopefully we’ll be ready,” Siner explained in a written statement. Now, only time will tell if he’s ready for the US Open singles starting August 24.