SHANGHAI SHOCK: JANNIK SINNER EXPLAINS STRUGGLE WITH ON-COURT CRAMP
Jannik Sinner reflects on his Shanghai Masters retirement, calling the cramping a "mental issue." The world No. 2 is now physically and emotionally ready for a strong finish to the season in Vienna, Paris, and Turin.
Jannik Sinner reflected on that circumstance and will be back on the tennis court less than two weeks after retiring at the Shanghai Masters.
The last time Sinner competed was at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Shanghai, where the Italian player's match did not go as planned. After Carlos Alcaraz withdrew, he was the clear favourite to win the title, but even Sinner failed to finish the tournament. After facing Tallon Griekspoor in the third round, the world No. 2 player decided to withdraw.
Sinner's calendar currently seems to be extremely packed after he missed a portion of the season due to his suspension earlier this year. He relocated to Saudi Arabia when his Asian career ended, and he will be the reigning champion at the Six Kings Slam's second edition.
According to Cronache di Spogliatoio, he discussed his physical state before the event and said that he was to blame for what transpired in Shanghai since he failed to manage the situation effectively.
"The Shanghai cramps? They were caused by a mental issue, in my opinion. I spoke with my team; from their perspective, I was not flawless, but now everything is good. I made the error of becoming depressed due to the heat and humidity. You can learn from their experiences. I was among many people who experienced cramping.
Jannik Sinner affirms his goals for the rest of 2025 and expresses excitement about returning to Saudi Arabia.
Three players, including Sinner, will participate in the Six Kings Slam's first two iterations. He is the only one of the three, though, who has not had a first-round bye this year.
Sinner was denied a first-round bye after winning the tournament the year before; instead, world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic received that honour. In spite of this, the Italian is eager to get back to Riyadh and will then compete in the Paris Masters, Vienna Open, and Turin ATP Finals.
"Yes, I am content. I have been able to play tennis here for the past two years. I am happy, but we will see what the mood is like. Every year has its own stories and is undoubtedly unique. I am content. We will see what I can accomplish this year, but I have some really formidable opponents."
"After taking two days off, we resumed our practice. I feel well both emotionally and physically, and we are prepared for the upcoming competitions in Vienna, Paris, and Turin. We want to end the year strong."
Stefanos Tsitsipas will be Sinner's first opponent at the tournament, but the four-time Grand Slam champion believes the Greek player is a formidable opponent despite his recent awful play.
"I will try to play my best tennis and see what happens, but it will be a tough match since he serves and moves really well."
THE MIAMI CHAOS: WHY WORLD NO 1 ARYNA SABALENKA WAS SHOCKED BY TOURNAMENT SCHEDULING
Aryna Sabalenka admits she was "really shocked" after being moved off the main court during a chaotic Miami Open opener.
Aryna Sabalenka didn’t hide her surprise about how the Miami Open scheduled her first match this year. She admitted she was “really shocked” by it all.
Sabalenka, ranked No. 1 in the world, beat Ann Li, who’s ranked 39th, 7-6(5), 6-4, in her second-round match at the Hard Rock Stadium. But the start of the Miami Open was a mess; rainstorms washed out all the action on Wednesday, and several Friday matches slid into Saturday because the weather just wouldn’t let up.
Friday got hit with more delays. Sabalenka’s match ended up being moved off the main stadium court to the smaller Butch Buchholz court – definitely not what a top seed expects. At her press conference, Sabalenka explained that tournament organisers actually gave her a choice: play right then on another court or move to Saturday.
“Well, honestly, I was shocked they even thought about cancelling my match just because of the schedule,” Sabalenka said. “And they were giving me a couple stadium options, and I thought, why can’t Alcaraz and Fonseca start a little later? Last night, the night session didn’t even start until nine, and Mirra Andreeva was still playing.”
She kept circling back to how odd it felt. “The idea of cancelling? I just didn’t expect it. But I decided I’d rather play today. If I win, I get a day off to rest and get myself together.”
Sabalenka laughed a little at the whole thing. “Yeah, I was really shocked, but I’m glad I at least got to pick what worked best for me.”
When someone asked why it caught her so off guard, she was straightforward: “I’ve never dealt with anything like this before. I can’t remember anything similar. For me, it’s not a big deal to play and have the night session start a little later, but I guess the tournament has to think about tickets and what works for them.”
As for whether she always expects to play on the main court as the world no. 1, she shrugged it off. “It’s tricky, because Alcaraz was playing too, so you’ve got two No. 1s. What can you do? I’m just glad I had a choice.”
Next up, Sabalenka takes on the world. No 72 Caty McNally in the third round.
JOAO FONSECA REVEALS THE BRUTAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PLAYING CARLOS ALCARAZ AND SINNER
Joao Fonseca labels Jannik Sinner a "robot" and claims Carlos Alcaraz has a "bigger arsenal" after his Miami Open exit.
Joao Fonseca hasn’t exactly had a smooth stretch lately. Just look at his recent opponents, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, two heavyweights at the top of the tennis world. Alcaraz beat Fonseca 6-4, 6-4 in Miami, but Fonseca came away with more than just a loss. He’s got a clearer view now of what separates these two giants.
For tennis fans, watching Fonseca face Sinner and Alcaraz was pretty much a dream matchup. The kid’s got hype; people seriously believe he’s the one who’ll someday challenge those two, who for now seem like they’re playing in their own league, barely threatened.
Fonseca still has a journey ahead before anyone can seriously talk about him joining their ranks. But the early signs are strong. He already snagged two ATP titles and climbed to world number 24 in his rookie year – a wild start. Injuries held him back for a bit at the beginning of 2026, but he seems to be finding his feet again, pushing the world’s best in two solid matches.
In Miami, Fonseca made his first-ever fourth-round showing at a Masters 1000, hoping he could keep his momentum against Sinner. He actually had three set points in the first, but Sinner took control and won two tiebreaks, ending Fonseca’s run, but not before Fonseca pushed him hard. Against Alcaraz, Fonseca tried to bring the same level, but it wasn’t enough. Alcaraz broke his serve once per set just enough to claim the win and finish Fonseca’s Miami campaign for another year.
So what does Fonseca make of the difference between Alcaraz and Sinner? After going toe-to-toe with both, he shared his thoughts: “I think Alcaraz has more arsenal than Sinner,” he said in his press conference. Sinner’s like a robot who just kills the ball and does everything perfectly. Carlos? He can do it all: topspin, power, movement, and net play. He’s got everything. It’s harder to read his game because he can break your rhythm in so many ways.”
When it came to Sinner, Fonseca felt more comfortable. “Jannik’s game let me come in without fear and play my style,” he admitted. “But I didn’t take the chances when I had them, and he played well; he’s world number one for a reason. I’ve got to look at my own mistakes and improve.”
The main thing, according to Fonseca, is that Alcaraz is unpredictable. “He’s got pretty much everything, so you don’t know what’s coming. Serve, serve and volley, serve wide and then blast a plus-one shot. That’s what makes playing him tough. You’ve got to play almost a flawless match.”
This wasn’t their first meeting. Fonseca and Alcaraz had faced off at the Miami Tennis Invitational last December, with Alcaraz edging out a super-tight final-set tiebreak. That match hinted at a rivalry that could get a lot more interesting in the future.
