After winning the first set through a late break of serve, Jodar wasn’t able to wrap up the match in the second, and Shapovalov levelled it. The Canadian had a 2-1 lead when Jodar called for a medical timeout to get treatment on his leg. He needed another break while trailing 4-1 because his shoelaces broke. But Shapovalov lost his patience when Jodar’s shoelaces broke again while trailing 5-3.

Shapovalov was heard complaining to the chair umpire that Jodar was using his breaks to drink water and regroup. He appeared to be very frustrated about the situation as the set was also slipping away from his hands. For context, Shapovalov had a 5-1 lead in the set at one stage, but Jodar mounted an incredible comeback.

Not only did he save a match point, but he also won the last six games in a row to claim victory. After the match, Jodar explained the situation with his shoelaces and remarked that he would be well-prepared from now on.

“Honestly, I can’t do anything about it. My laces broke, and I needed time to prepare a new pair,” he said in the post-match press conference. “I’ll try to have spare laces for the next match or other shoes, which will reduce the stoppage time if it happens again.”

This win continues a remarkable breakout season for the 19-year-old, who is now ranked No. 11 in the world. After suffering a third-round exit at Wimbledon, he began his hard-court season on a fantastic note. Jodar first reached the final of the Citi Open after racking up victories over players like Arthur Fils and Lorenzo Musetti. But Taylor Fritz proved to be a step too far for the Spaniard as he lost the final 7-6, 6-4.

Jodar followed this up by reaching the semifinals of the National Bank Open. He once again got the better of Fils and Musetti, but also defeated Jiri Lehecka on his way to the last 4. However, Brandon Nakashima brought his campaign to an end by winning 7-6, 6-4.

Jodar has impressed again, this time in Cincinnati. After defeating Shapovalov, he will now be taking on Alejandro Tabilo in the Round of 32. But he will have to be extra careful about keeping spare laces for his upcoming matches, as this is now the third time that he has sparked attention for having broken laces. He had even come under intense scrutiny for the same on the previous occasion.

Rafael Jodar’s shoelaces broke at the Canadian Open as well

The incident occurred during the semifinal clash between Jodar and Nakashima. The American was in control of the match after winning the first set and clinching a break in the second. In the sixth game of the set, Jodar went to his bench to change his shoelaces when Nakashima was leading 30-0.

This incident didn’t go unnoticed, and Jodar was called out by fans for wasting time. Notably, the 19-year-old had also changed his laces during the final against Fritz at the Citi Open. But he didn’t receive any code violations from the chair umpire on either of the occasions. Jodar came up on the losing side in both matches.

After having already come under the scanner for repeatedly changing his shoelaces, Jodar is likely to face severe criticism if the pattern repeats in upcoming matches at the Cincinnati Masters.

He has already played Tabilo two times this season, and both of them have racked up a victory each. While Tabilo had won 6-1, 6-2 at the Indian Wells Masters, Jodar had levelled the H2H record by claiming a 6-7, 6-4, 6-4 victory in the semifinals of the Citi Open.

The post Rafael Jodar Responds to Denis Shapovalov’s Complaint Over Shoelace Drama in Cincinnati appeared first on EssentiallySports.

“I certainly hope so, but unfortunately, at this point it seems more likely that I won’t,” he said in the post-match press conference. “However, we’ll see what the future holds.”

While the result already is very demoralizing for Djokovic, what was more concerning was how he crumbled under the Cincinnati heat. Notably, the temperature rose to 31°C in Cincinnati on Saturday, August 15. After taking the first set comfortably, the 39-year-old started struggling physically in the second. He even appeared to vomit during a changeover, bending over a towel as a trainer and physio rushed to his side.

Things would get worse for Djokovic later in the set, as it was evident that he wasn’t able to handle the intense heat. He removed his shirt, pressed an ice pack on his head, and even used an inhaler. Despite using various methods to counter the heat, Djokovic still wasn’t able to clinch the second set as Tirante levelled the match.

With the set level at 1-1, Djokovic and Tirante battled through the heat for 17 minutes and 51 seconds in the third game. The game stretched through nine deuces as Djokovic gave away three game points, but also erased four break points. It turned into the longest single game played at an ATP Masters 1000 event this season.

The Serb eventually escaped when Tirante’s forehand went way over the baseline. But this game pretty much drained the remaining energy left in Djokovic as Tirante soon gained his second break of the match and clinched the third set to complete a memorable victory.

This result saw Tirante become just the second player ranked outside the top 30 to defeat Djokovic in Cincinnati. Additionally, he became just the 14th player in 20 years to come back from a set down against the 24-time Grand Slam champion.

After the match, concerns over Djokovic’s physical condition intensified when he revealed that an ongoing health condition has made it difficult for him to cope with extreme heat and humidity.

“No, it’s simply a health problem I have. It’s been bothering me for the last few years. I have a lot of problems, especially when the humidity and heat are high,” he further said in the press conference.

With his campaign in Cincinnati coming to an early end, Djokovic hasn’t been able to get substantial match practice on hard courts ahead of the US Open, which commences on August 30. But his challenge at Flushing Meadows will begin in the fan week, as he will be participating in the mixed doubles draw alongside Aryna Sabalenka.

Having reached the semifinals in the last edition of the Grand Slam, an early exit will see him lose a massive number of points in the rankings. It remains to be seen whether Djokovic will manage to make a deep run at the upcoming US Open.

The post Novak Djokovic Drops Retirement Hint After Painful Defeat at Cincinnati Open appeared first on EssentiallySports.

Asked during her on-court interview what she expected from their first encounter, Anisimova wasn’t as focused on what would happen on the court as on what it would sound like around it.

“I haven’t played her before. She’s been having such an incredible season, incredible year, and very great player with a lot of fans. So I’m really looking forward to that. I know that it’s probably going to be a very packed stadium. So yeah, I’m sure it’ll be really fun,” Anisimova said.

She followed up on that topic in another interview with Tennis Channel following her victory, when asked directly if Eala converts every court into a home match for her.

“That’s true, yeah. She has a great fan base and it looks like it’s an incredible atmosphere every time she steps out to play a match. So I’m really, really looking forward to it. I love a packed stadium and I love a good atmosphere. So yeah, I’m sure it’ll be a great match, even though they’re probably going to be rooting for her, more for her end. But I don’t mind it and I’ll try to thrive off of the energy,” Anisimova said.

Both players are coming into their third-round meeting Monday with a solid start. The 21-year-old Filipino extended her stellar winning streak to 11 victories in 13 matches since grabbing her first WTA title at the Mubadala DC Open in Washington. In Cincinnati, she started her campaign with a dominant 6-1, 3-0 win against Elena-Gabriela Ruse, who retired midway through the first set with a foot injury.

Ninth seed Anisimova breezed past Zeynep Sonmez of Turkey in a game that was interrupted by rain, 6-2, 6-3. The meeting also represents a new milestone for Eala, as she will be facing the eighth top 10 player this season, following the previous meetings with Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, Karolina Muchova, Elina Svitolina and Linda Noskova.

Notably, this is not the first time Anisimova has expressed her affection for Eala and her fanbase.

Anisimova expressed her admiration for Eala

In February, when Anisimova saw Alexandra Eala play at the Dubai Tennis Championships, she had similar enthusiastic praise to offer. 

“I love that, that she has such an incredible fan base. I think she’s also such a good representation of her country. I mean, she’s so young, and she carries herself so well. It’s so good to see,” she said at the time. The American even admitted staying courtside to see Eala’s match just for the atmosphere, even though she didn’t need to.

The massive fan following is one of the major-discussed storylines on tour this season. Former doubles world No. 1 Rennae Stubbs commented on the situation in her own podcast during the Canadian Open. She said that broadcast commentators had been clear that they were having trouble reading the hype of Eala’s crowds, as many of the fans were even unfamiliar with the sport. 

The Filipino herself has admitted that her daily routine has changed this season, stating that her schedule has become a lot busier. 

“My days have gotten a little more packed with the commitments and spending time with you guys, but obviously in a very good way, and I’m enjoying it a lot,” she said recently, adding that she felt it was helping her grow as a more established player on tour. 

If the 17th seed manages a win, it would mark her eighth victory over a top-10 opponent this season and her tenth overall, another milestone in a run that shows little sign of slowing down.

The post Amanda Anisimova Speaks Out on Facing Alexandra Eala’s Fans Ahead of Cincinnati Showdown appeared first on EssentiallySports.

“I know some of the testing has started this week,” she told Front Office Sports. “And so far, I’ve heard it’s been very easy, it’s been very simple, no complaints. It definitely wasn’t something that was kind of brought all on us out of nowhere here in Cincinnati. I think it’s a hot topic right now, but I think the tour is doing a pretty good job, and players seem to be okay with everything.” In fact, standing in support of the new policy, Aryna Sabalenka believes that it is a step in the right direction, as it’s not fair that women have to compete against biological men.

“I think it’s really important to keep the fairness in our tour,” she said in a press conference before the National Bank Open. “It’s obviously, biologically, the men are way stronger than women, so I feel like it would be not really fair for the woman to compete against biological man.”

The World No. 1 further added, “I believe it took them a little while to make this decision and, yeah, I support it. But for me, I’m focusing on myself, on my goals, you know, whatever it takes. If they want to test us all, I’m happy to do that; it’s pretty fair, and let’s keep it that way.”

The initiative had been launched by the WTA on July 21. According to the policy, the players need to get tested for the SRY gene, a segment of DNA typically found on the Y chromosome that initiates male sex development. This initiative has been taken to maintain the fairness of competition in women’s tennis.

A negative test result means that the player gets a clean chit forever. A positive result doesn’t automatically end a player’s eligibility, but it does render one ineligible to compete in tournaments reserved for women. That is, unless the player can demonstrate that she has Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome or another recognized Difference of Sexual Development.

The testing is not a recurrent procedure, and a player needs to do it only once in their respective careers. With no transgender players currently present on the Tour, it is unlikely that anyone would be affected by the testing.

But while Sabalenka is supporting the initiative and the players also seem to have no major complaints with the testing, there are others who don’t quite feel the same way. In fact, WTA has been heavily criticized over the last few weeks after it made testing mandatory for players. Some advocacy groups are even demanding that WTA drop the initiative altogether.

Advocacy groups want the WTA to stop the gene testing initiative for good

The Sports and Rights Alliance, a coalition of advocacy organizations, had described the initiative as discriminatory in a statement on Thursday. They also believe that the testing will cause harm to women, even though the WTA insists that it wouldn’t.

“The WTA can claim it does not intend to cause harm, but good intentions will never erase the stigmatization and trauma that women and girls will suffer due to sex testing,” said Andrea Florence, the executive director of the organization.

This isn’t all as Lily Dong Li Rosengard, advocacy senior specialist at ILGA World, an international organization that represents LGBTQ rights, feels that women shouldn’t be forced to prove their gender to compete on the international stage.

“The WTA has hurriedly cobbled together a policy that does not advance the rights of women and girls but instead undermines the safety and dignity of everyone on the tour,” she said in a statement. “Despite the fact that no out trans women are currently competing at the professional level, all women and girl tennis players will now have to ‘prove’ their gender just so the WTA can ensure they never play at all.”

Though the WTA has come under intense criticism, it is unlikely that it will scrap the gene testing initiative all of a sudden. With players willingly taking part, the testing process is expected to continue as planned.

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“You forgot Elena, but it’s ok, she’s kind of number two right now,” said Sabalenka in her press conference at the Cincinnati Open.

Sabalenka is not wrong in reminding everyone about Elena Rybakina, who has won a Major this year, beating Sabalenka herself at the Australian Open final. The World No. 2 also won the title in Stuttgart and had runner-up finishes at WTA 1000 events in Indian Wells and Toronto.

In the reporter’s defense, the trio of Sabalenka, Swiatek, and Gauff has dominated the Tour in the last few years. In the last three WTA seasons, those three players took the top three spots on the year-end rankings. Rybakina was not far off, finishing in the Top 10 at the season’s end, with her best finish in 2023, when she was ranked No. 4 in the season-end rankings.

However, in 2026, even though Sabalenka had a dominating start with three titles and a runner-up finish at the Australian Open, the duo of Swiatek and Gauff have struggled. The Pole had a recent resurgence in form when she won the WTA 1000 title in Canada, but the final in Toronto was her first this year, with the former World No.1 already having twelve losses for the season.

Gauff, on the other hand, has yet to win a title this year, even though the American has made some decent runs at high-profile events, including reaching the finals in Miami and Rome. She also had a grass-court breakthrough at Wimbledon, where she reached the semifinal. However, for players like Sabalenka, Swiatek, and Gauff, their seasons are judged on their Slam performances, a front on which they are lagging behind Rybakina this season.

Sabalenka’s comment also shows that she is well aware of the threat Rybakina poses, as the Kazakh is very close to ending the World No. 1’s reign.

Even though she lost to Swiatek in the Toronto final, Rybakina’s run at the Canadian Open has put her a bit over 300 points away from toppling Sabalenka as the World No.1. Heading into Cincinnati, the Kazakh could get the No.1 ranking if she reached the final and Sabalenka had an early exit. However, should the Belarusian reach the quarterfinals and beyond, Rybakina will need to win the title.

Even if she misses the opportunity at Cincinnati, Rybakina will have another big opportunity to topple Sabalenka at the US Open, as the World No.1 will have 2000 points to defend in New York, and an early exit will pave the way for Rybakina to get the top spot. However, the Kazakh has not had a great record at the US Open, as she has never advanced past the fourth round.

At the moment, both Sabalenka and Rybakina will be focused on their Cincinnati matchups, with both players receiving tricky draws. Sabalenka has the likes of Gauff, Mirra Andreeva, and Ekaterina Alexandrova in her half, whereas Rybakina has Swiatek, Jessica Pegula, and Amanda Anisimova as potential threats in her half.

For the time being, both of them will be keen to get past their opening rounds, with Sabalenka facing Talia Gibson, and Rybakina starting her campaign against home favorite Taylor Townsend.

The post Aryna Sabalenka Calls Out Reporter Over Elena Rybakina at Cincinnati Open appeared first on EssentiallySports.

With the third set tied at 4-4, Halys’ serve was put under pressure by De Minaur. He earned a total of four break points during the game, but failed to convert any of them. As he lost his fourth chance to break by hitting a shot way wide of the baseline, De Minaur, who is known to remain calm in even the tensest situations, couldn’t control his emotions and smashed his racket to the ground. The racket broke into pieces and had to be replaced immediately.

Halys would go on to defend his serve, increasing De Minaur’s frustration even more. But the World No. 8 regained his composure in the games that followed, and the set was dragged to a tiebreaker. De Minaur clinched the breaker 7-4 to win the grueling match.

After the encounter, De Minaur reflected on his recent results, stating that he was in desperate need of rediscovering his energy and positivity in the past few months.

“I feel like the last couple weeks I haven’t brought out that intensity and passion and being as vocal as that I could have been or I have been in the past,” he said on The Tennis Channel. “So, one of the big things for me was to try and bring that passion, bring that energy, be vocal about it, bring as much positivity as I can.”

The comeback win over Halys would mean a lot for De Minaur, as his form hasn’t been up to the mark in recent times. After suffering an exit in the Round of 16 at Wimbledon against Flavio Cobolli, the Australian began his hard-court season with his title defense at the Citi Open.

But things didn’t quite go as planned, and De Minaur suffered a 7-6, 6-4 defeat to Brandon Nakashima in the quarterfinals. He also wasn’t able to improve his form at the Canadian Open and was knocked out in the second round after a 5-7, 7-6, 6-1 defeat to Cameron Norrie. De Minaur pretty much survived a scare in his first match at Cincinnati.

Things are only about to get tougher for the 27-year-old in the coming rounds. Both his second- and third-round opponents can turn out to be a major challenge and have the capability to eliminate him from the tournament.

Alex de Minaur faces a tough draw at the Cincinnati Masters

De Minaur will be up against Arthur Fery in the third round. This will be the first time that the two will be taking on each other in a tour-level match. This is the Brit’s first tournament since his Cinderella run at Wimbledon, where he reached the semifinals as a wildcard.

Fery took a break of over a month and returned to action in Cincinnati, where he defeated James Duckworth 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 in the first round. Looking at his current form, he can be quite a tough opponent to overcome for De Minaur, who is desperately looking to improve his results.

If De Minaur does move past Fery, then he will play the winner of the match between Jiri Lehecka and Arthur Fils in the fourth round. Either of these players is capable of defeating De Minaur. Though the Australian has a 2-1 advantage over both of them in the H2H record, it will be far from a walk in the park if he faces one of them next week.

While De Minaur hasn’t met Lehecka so far this season, he did clash with Fils earlier in the first round of the Rotterdam Open in February. The 27-year-old had won the match 7-6, 6-2 and had gone on to rack up four more wins in the tournament to clinch his first and only title of the season so far.

Will De Minaur manage to make a deep run in Cincinnati and improve his run of form, or will he suffer yet another early exit? We will have to wait and see.

The post Alex de Minaur Breaks Character as Frustration Boils Over in Cincinnati Opener appeared first on EssentiallySports.

“Once in Rome, I got scared. I had spotted fans all the time in front of my hotel. At one point, one of them knocked on my room door,” said Atmane in his interview with Lequipe. “I discovered that he had put an AirTag (tracking device) in a bag left for my attention”.

AirTags are tracking devices used by people to locate missing belongings and keep track of valuables, especially their luggage. They come with security features that alert iPhone and Android users to prevent unwanted tracking. However, what is evident from Atmane’s situation is that in the hands of the wrong individual, innovation can do serious damage.

It is usually the WTA players who bear the brunt of stalking incidents, with the likes of Serena Williams and Emma Raducanu facing serious threats from stalkers. However, top men’s players have faced on-court intrusions during matches, with even the likes of Roger Federer having fans come onto the court during his 2009 French Open final.

Even though recounting the Rome experience will not be a pleasant experience for Atmane, the Frenchman will aim to remain focused as he moves through the draw at the Cincinnati Open, the same event where the Frenchman made his mark last year.

Terence Atmane Had His Breakthrough Run in Cincinnati Last Year

Coming into the Cincinnati Open last year, Atmane had no breakout performance on the Tour to speak about, with the Frenchman mostly having success on the Challenger Tour. He had to play qualifying to get in the main draw of Cincinnati last year, which he did after wins over Omar Jasika and Li Tu.

Once in the main draw, Atmane began his campaign with a win over Yoshihito Nishioka and soon got his first win over a top player when he beat Flavio Cobolli in the second round. The Frenchman hit top form, winning against the likes of Joao Fonseca, Taylor Fritz, and Holger Rune to set up a clash against Jannik Sinner in the semifinal.

Even though Atmane’s run came to an end against the Italian, he pushed Sinner to a tiebreak in the first set. This performance was not a one-off as the Frenchman took a set off the World No.1 when they played in Beijing a few weeks later. Atmane came to Cincinnati under similar circumstances of not having a great time on the Tour in the season.

Before the Cincinnati Open, Atmane had a 15-22 win-loss record in 2026, including Challenger results. The Frenchman has ten first-round and five second-round exits on the Tour this year. However, he will need to get a deep run in Cincinnati once again, as most of his ranking points come from the run he had here last year, and an early exit could put him in danger of going out of the Top 100.

Atmane began his Cincinnati campaign this year with a win via retirement over Márton Fucsovics, as the Hungarian retired in the first set. The Frenchman got the better of Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the second round and will play either Cameron Norrie or the top-seeded Alexander Zverev in the next round.

The post “I Was Scared”- Terence Atmane Shares Disturbing Details of Fan Stalking Encounter appeared first on EssentiallySports.

Speaking to TIME, Sabalenka offered an honest take on the backlash surrounding her on-court emotions, adding, “I don’t know. Maybe we get judged a bit more, but I don’t really mind. I just figure for myself that this is the best way for me. And if someone’s going to judge me for that, whatever, I don’t really care.”

She further added, “It’s not my people. But I know that there are so many people who will understand that and who will really feel that because they feel that the same way. So if someone’s going to judge me for that, it’s their life, their opinion. And I don’t really mind.”

Sabalenka has gotten in trouble over the years for expressing her emotions on and off the court. This year, she received a hindrance call in her semifinal match against Elina Svitolina at the Australian Open for grunting while her opponent was playing the shot. However, Sabalenka challenged the call with a video review, but the replay backed the umpire’s decision. The exchange that followed made it clear that the grunt in question had included a second, trailing sound.

The World No. 1 still felt it was the “wrong call” but, rather than worrying about another penalty, she almost seemed to welcome it. “How do I say in a nice way? She [the umpire] really pissed me off, and it’s actually help[ed] me and benefit[ed] my game; I was more aggressive,” she said. “I was not happy with the call, and it really helped me to get that game. So if she ever want[s] to do it again, I want to make sure that she’s not afraid of it. Go ahead, call it. It’s going to help me.”

On the ATP side, players like Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz are also known for their loud grunts, which are generally viewed as part of their aggressive, high-intensity game style. That comparison makes the scrutiny around Sabalenka’s grunts all the more interesting, especially when similar on-court expressions from male players are rarely treated with the same level of attention.

Former male greats such as John McEnroe are lauded to this day for their aggressive on-court behavior and habit of smashing rackets, a similar behavior for which female players are often criticized. But beneath all the debate over grunting, there’s actually some science to the noise.

Researchers have found a link between grunting and power, with players producing groundstrokes around 3.8% faster when they grunt. The boost is even more noticeable on serve, where grunters can hit about 4.9% faster than their quieter counterparts. In simple terms, making a little noise may help players put a little more force behind their shots.

Notably, Sabalenka’s energy on the court has earned her a lot of fans, but with the Belarusian taking a few losses in her recent outings, that same behavior has come under a lot of fire.

After her French Open exit, Sabalenka was criticized by Serena Williams’ coach, Rennae Stubbs, who called out the Belarusian for losing her grip on a match that was completely in her control. Despite the criticisms, Sabalenka maintained that her fiery demeanor on court went hand in hand with her game style and that keeping her emotions in check would negatively impact her results.

However, despite all the noise around her, Sabalenka looks forward to the US Open title defense following the Cincinnati Masters.

Aryna Sabalenka Will Need Her Mental Strength to Make a Deep Run in Cincinnati Ahead of the US Open

If shouting at her box, showing her emotions, and largely grunting help Sabalenka to be her best on the court, the Belarusian will need all that if she has to get over the slight mid-season slump she is going through. Sabalenka is going to the Cincinnati Open with the aim of making a deep run ahead of the US Open.

The losses to Diana Shnaider and Naomi Osaka at the French Open and Wimbledon did not reveal any specific technical flaws in the Belarusian’s game, but did reveal cracks in her concentration, which affected her shot accuracy and shot selection at crucial moments.

Being the two-time defending champion in New York, Sabalenka would like to have a title under her belt, and she has won the Cincinnati Open in the past, which will give her the confidence as she begins her campaign against Talia Gibson in the second round.

The post Aryna Sabalenka Speaks Out on Gender Double Standard Over On-Court Emotions appeared first on EssentiallySports.

Three years later, Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner were both out, Djokovic was the third seed, and the path had suddenly opened up. For most of his career, these were the weeks he punished everyone for giving him an opening. That is why what happened next looked so bad.

Cincinnati was set up for another Djokovic run. Instead, it exposed just how quickly a favorable draw can stop mattering when the body starts giving way.

Playing his first match since a Wimbledon semifinal loss to Sinner five weeks earlier, Djokovic was dumped out 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 by Argentina’s Thiago Agustin Tirante. The upset was bad enough on its own. What made it more concerning was the way Djokovic physically faded in the Ohio heat, turning what should have been a routine opening assignment into a fight against both Tirante and his own body.

Djokovic survived 13 break points, but the rest of the numbers were ugly. He piled up 40 unforced errors and seven double faults, while his 25 winners and five aces were not enough to offset Tirante’s 40 winners and 13 aces. Over two hours and 44 minutes, Djokovic kept himself alive more through resistance than control, and the scoreline only tells part of how uncomfortable the match became.

Djokovic Throws Up Mid-Match

That physical struggle became impossible to ignore in the second set. Djokovic appeared to vomit during a changeover, bending over a towel as a trainer and physio rushed over. From there, the warning signs kept piling up. Around the one-hour, 33-minute mark, the 39-year-old removed his shirt, pressed an ice pack to his head and used an inhaler as the Ohio heat continued to wear him down.

The physio checked him once again with Tirante serving at 1-2 down in the second set, but there was no more further treatment, and Djokovic just played on. There was a huge difference in the energy level of the 24-time Grand Slam champion, who raced through his opening set in 44 minutes. 

And Cincinnati had already seen this kind of heat-related collapse before. Cincinnati’s heat had already wrecked another player a year earlier. In 2025, Cameron Norrie battled 33°C (91°F) temperatures and heavy humidity against Roberto Bautista Agut, started feeling sick late in the first set, and eventually left the court to vomit. He came back, but admitted he had almost nothing left physically and lost 6-4, 6-3. So when Djokovic began breaking down in similar conditions, it was not an isolated incident.

And the heat was only part of the punishment. Djokovic’s next problem was a game that simply refused to end.

The longest game of the Masters 1000 season

The third game of the second set became the match’s breaking point. Locked at 1-1, Djokovic and Tirante dragged through a brutal 17 minutes and 51 seconds, the longest single game at the Masters 1000 level in 2026. For Djokovic, already struggling physically, it was exactly the kind of grind he could least afford.

The game turned into a grind, stretching through nine deuces as Tirante earned four break-point chances. Djokovic erased all four but wasted three game points of his own before finally escaping on his seventh opportunity when Tirante sent a forehand long. He moved two points closer to the finish line, but the effort clearly took something out of him.

Something similar happened earlier in the season at Indian Wells. Djokovic and defending champion Jack Draper were tied at one set apiece when a brutal 26-shot rally in the opening game of the decider turned into one of the points of the tournament. Djokovic won the rally, but later said it drained him and contributed to his collapse.

It took everything out of the 39-year-old, as he lay flat on the court for a while after that point. Putting all of his energy into the final set at a very early stage emptied his tank, making it hard to sustain the rest of the match.

Tirante was not just watching Djokovic run out of gas. He was punishing him for it.

Tirante unleashed the fastest forehand of the Masters 1000 season

After a set point was thrown against Tirante in the first set, the Argentine didn’t play safe. Instead, he sent a forehand spinning at 193 kmph (120 mph), saving the point and immediately making it the fastest forehand of the season at the Masters 1000 level. 

Despite that, Djokovic ended up claiming that first set 6-2, and even though his body wasn’t always on board, he was still the better player for much of the time.

Djokovic’s remarkable record after winning the first set finally came to an end

Djokovic had spent two decades making first-set leads feel almost automatic, going 355-13 at Masters 1000 events after taking the opener, a 96.5 percent conversion rate. Tirante somehow joined the tiny group that cracked that formula, becoming just the 14th player in 20 years to come back from a set down against him.

Even more jarring, he became only the second player ranked outside the top 30 to beat Djokovic in Cincinnati. For a player who built his reputation on choking off matches once he got ahead, this was the kind of collapse that stood out for all the wrong reasons.

The loss came at the same tournament where Djokovic made his ATP Masters 1000 main-draw debut in 2005, while Tirante joined fellow Argentine Diego Serra among the rare players to hand him an early Cincinnati exit.

Djokovic sounded uncertain about returning to Cincinnati ever again

This was Djokovic’s 16th trip to Cincinnati, a place where he had already collected three titles and endured five runner-up finishes. But this time, the bigger story was not another trophy chase. It was whether Cincinnati had just seen the last of him. At 39, Djokovic openly admitted he was not sure there would be a 17th appearance at the Lindner Family Tennis Center.

“I certainly hope so, but it looks more likely not, unfortunately. But let’s see what the future brings. It’s just a condition that I have, health-wise, that has been bothering me for the past couple of years. A lot of issues, especially when it is humid and it is hot,” he explained, adding that nerves likely made it worse. 

On the result itself, he stayed measured. “Congrats to my opponent. It was not an enjoyable match for me, for sure. The way I felt. Not the first and I guess not the last time, but it is what it is.”

The heat and humidity of Cincinnati tested Serbian’s fitness. With the US Open now just two weeks away, Djokovic’s fitness heads into New York with some alarming questions raised. 

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Laura Siegemund is one of the players stepping away. She will skip the North American swing, including the US Open, with a possible return in September, although no firm date has been set. Lulu Sun is taking an even longer pause. The 25-year-old has announced an indefinite break from competition and has not provided a timetable for her return, saying she wants time to enjoy life away from tennis.

“Hi everybody! After Wimbledon I’ve decided to take a break from competition, and I will miss the US swing and not play for a while,” Laura wrote in an Instagram post. “I will take some time off, recover the mind and the body, and then see where it takes me next.”

Siegemund is skipping the entire North American hard-court swing, including Washington, Toronto, Cleveland and the US Open. At 38, ranked No. 88 and facing a likely drop outside the top 100, she is choosing recovery over chasing ranking points simply to stay on the treadmill. There is no comeback date, no carefully packaged return plan, and no attempt to pretend everything is fine. Sun’s situation is different, but she has reached a similar point.

Sun’s most recent competitive appearance came at Wimbledon in 2026, where she lost in the second round of qualifying. That turned out to be her final match before announcing a break from professional tennis to focus on her wellbeing. The result was a stark contrast to her breakthrough at the same tournament two years earlier, when she came through qualifying and reached the quarterfinals after wins over Alex Eala and Emma Raducanu. Sun struggled to recapture that form in 2026, going 8-16 and failing to win a WTA main-draw match before stepping away from competition.

“In professional tennis, as in life, there is constant pressure to perfect oneself,” Lulu wrote on Instagram. “The physical and mental demands of a competition schedule are relentless and can impact your life in more ways than one. With that in mind, I have decided to take some time away from competition to give myself a little space for my wellbeing and to enjoy life beyond the tennis court.

“It will give me the opportunity to step away from the demands of competition, reset and prepare for what’s ahead. I find it hard to express how deeply appreciative I am to all my team members, friends, family and fans for their continuous belief in me.”

In both cases, Wimbledon ended up being the last stop before the break. Notably, both Siegemund and Sun last competed at Wimbledon. The German was eliminated in the first round after a 6-2, 6-4 loss to Elise Mertens. Sun, meanwhile, had to come through qualifying after missing out on a wildcard. She won her opening qualifier before falling to Oceane Dodin in a pair of tiebreaks, 7-6, 7-6.

That also came after both players had already spent much of the season competing regularly. Both players have remained fairly active on Tour this season without taking any significant breaks before this month.

Siegemund has competed in 13 tournaments, while Sun has played 17, with neither dealing with a serious injury that forced an extended absence. For Sun, however, that workload has come alongside a steep fall from her 2024 breakthrough. After reaching the Wimbledon quarterfinals that year, she slipped outside the top 100 by 2026, winning just eight of 24 matches and failing to record a WTA main-draw victory before losing in the second round of Wimbledon qualifying

Even research has also shown how physically demanding long stretches of tournament play can become. One study tracking tennis players over a six-week international tour found declines in 5-meter and 10-meter sprint speed, agility, and aspects of body composition after sustained competition. The researchers noted that heavy training and match loads, combined with limited recovery time, can affect performance and increase physical strain.

That context helps explain why even healthy players may eventually need time away. Siegemund and Sun have both maintained their fitness levels, but competing in so many tournaments can wear down any player over time. It is possible that the demands of the Tour simply caught up with them, leading both to step away from competition and take a much-needed break.

They aren’t the only WTA players who are finding it hard to keep up with the Tour.

In fact, even top players like Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek have also been critical of the incredibly tiring tennis schedule.

Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek have also weighed in on the demanding tennis schedule

Sabalenka had described the schedule as “insane” earlier this year in January. She had also warned that it would lead to a high number of injuries.

“The season is definitely insane, and that’s not good for all of us, as you see so many players getting injured and also the balls are quite heavy. It’s a lot of struggle for all of us,” she said during a press conference at the Brisbane International. “The rules are quite tricky with mandatory events, but I’m still skipping a couple events to protect my body, because I struggled a lot last season.”

On the other hand, Swiatek had branded the schedule as “too intense” last season. She believes that there is no reason why players need to play over 20 tournaments a year. She had made the scathing comments after skipping Poland’s qualifier at the Billie Jean King Cup.

“The scheduling is super intense. It’s too intense. There’s no point for us to play over 20 tournaments in a year,” she said during a pre-tournament press conference at Wimbledon. “Sometimes we need to sacrifice playing for your country because we need to keep up with playing these WTA 500s, for example, because we’re going to get a zero in the ranking.”

But it appears that the players’ repeated pleas to improve the scheduling of the Tour are falling on deaf ears. This is because both the ATP and WTA have no plans to decrease the number of tournaments as of now.

In fact, the ATP will be adding a tenth Masters event to the Tour in 2028, which will be held in Saudi Arabia. With the LA Olympics also set to be held during the same year, it won’t be wrong to say that the 2028 season can be the most exhausting one in recent years.

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