Scheduling in tennis has often come under the spotlight and Jannik Sinner seems to be the latest addition to the list of players feeling its heat. The Italian has been on a stellar run in the past few weeks, having won the China Open and the Vienna Open.
After his title triumph in Austria, Sinner had less than two days to fly to Paris to take part in the Paris Masters. There, after a marathon first-round victory, Sinner shocked everyone by withdrawing from his round-of-16 match against Alex De Minaur.
Reason behind Sinner’s withdrawal from Paris
Top tennis players like Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff have lamented the tennis body’s scheduling of events. The constant touring and traveling takes a toll on the athlete’s body and many players have since withdrawn from major tournaments citing fatigue.
Jannik Sinner faced the same issue when his second-round match against the USA’s Mackenzie McDonald went way past midnight and into the early morning. Eventually, in over two hours of a back-and-forth battle, Sinner triumphed 6(6)-7, 7-5, 6-1.
There are two reasons for Sinner’s withdrawal from his third-round match. One is the late start of his first match and its subsequent finish at midnight. The second reason is that World No. 4 had a 14-hour turnaround time before competing again.
âIt was tough going on court after midnight, but it was nice to still have some crowd watching,” Sinner said after his second round match.
The fatigue gained from constant travel across continents coupled with a short period of recovery meant that Sinner had enough of the strain on his body and mind and wanted to take a break from the tennis court.
Result of Sinner withdrawal
The withdrawal of Jannik Sinner from his third-round clash with Alex De Minaur meant that the Australian got a walkover to the next round.
De Minaur himself was reeling from two marathon three-setters against Andy Murray and Laslo Djere in the first two rounds. The bye would have been a welcome change for him. He will face fifth-seeded Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, Jannik Sinner missed out on a golden opportunity to win a Masters 1000 tournament and add to his impressive titles in the last few months.
A win in France, given that world no. 3 Daniil Medvedev had exited the tournament earlier, would have given the 22-year-old a big boost in ATP points and would have closed the gap on the Russian.
Jannik Sinner will now take a break from the game before heading to Turin, Italy, to take part in the Nitto ATP Finals on November 12th. After that, Sinner will play an integral part in Italy’s squad at the Davis Cup knockouts, where they will face the Netherlands in the quarterfinals.
What are your opinions on Jannik Sinner’s withdrawal from the Paris Masters? Should scheduling in tennis be more lenient? Let us know in the comments section below.
