Sinner gives up
Jannik Sinner limped, leaning on his racket to keep from falling to the hard court, then collapsed in the sweltering heat in Shanghai – where the oppressive combination of heat and humidity is very high.
After two and a half hours of battling with Dutch player Tallon Griekspoor, Sinner's legs – currently ranked second in the world – began to cramp violently.
In the end, he was forced to retire in the third set, when Griekspoor was temporarily leading 3-2. Before that, he won the first set 7-6 (7-3), lost the second set 5-7. A heavy blow to the hope of winning the year-end No. 1 ranking.
The early withdrawal cost Sinner 950 points, as he was defending his Shanghai Masters title.
At the same time, Carlos Alcaraz – despite being absent due to an ankle injury – benefited from a misstep by his direct opponent.
The intensity of the competition and the hot weather caused many players to collapse: up to 15 seeds left the tournament early.
Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, Casper Ruud, Andrey Rublev... broke up one by one, and now it's Sinner's turn.
Novak Djokovic survived, but he himself endured a lot of hardship. During his victory over Yannik Hanfmann (4-6, 7-5 and 6-3), the Serbian tennis player had to constantly take energy gels, drink mineral salts, and even vomited slightly at the end of the court.
At the age of 38, Djokovic became the oldest player to enter the top 16 of the Shanghai Masters – a tournament he has won four times.
In Sinner's case, he was showing signs of fatigue from his previous match against Daniel Altmaier. He still tried to win that day, but this time, his legs rebelled.
All attempts at comfort were in vain. Griekspoor – who had saved six break points to force the match into a third set – hugged his fallen opponent, then helped Sinner off the court.
Djokovic's Aspiration
Up to now, there are 6 players who have had to withdraw: Hamad Medjedovic (22 years old), Terence Atmane (23), Casper Ruud (26), David Goffin (34), Tomas Machac (24) and Sinner (24).
Sinner's withdrawal directly affects the race for the world No. 1 position, especially when he still has to defend 1,500 points at the ATP Finals in Turin.
Previously, he planned to participate in Vienna (500 points) and Paris Masters (1,000 points). However, after this fall, everything became more difficult.
Sinner is currently 1,340 points behind Alcaraz in the rankings, and even 2,540 points behind in the “Race to Turin” – the measure that determines the best player of the season and the 8 names participating in the ATP Finals next month.
Meanwhile, it is unclear whether Djokovic will be present in Turin, whether he has enough points or not. In Shanghai, Chinese fans welcomed him with a banner depicting his entire career.
Born in 1987, started playing tennis in 1991, made a prophetic statement in 1994 ( “I want to be number 1” ), reached the professional level in 2003, won his first Grand Slam in 2008, won the Davis Cup in 2010, reached the top of the world in 2011, got married, had a child, set a record in 2016, won 24 Grand Slams in 2023, won 100 titles this season… and now – where Nole is no longer the absolute ruler.
The dream of a 25th Grand Slam title seems far away, but Djokovic still fights with the same will, despite his reduced strength.
Before Hanfmann, Nole won after 2 hours and 42 minutes – sweating, but still resilient.
For Djokovic now, every match is a test of stamina and survival. A player who stands where bodies nearly two decades younger have fallen is something to celebrate.
In the fourth round, Djokovic will meet Jaume Munar (9am on October 8). With his biggest rival Sinner out of the game, Nole has the opportunity to win the Shanghai Masters for the 5th time, as well as seek the 101st ATP title of his career.
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/masters-thuong-hai-sinner-sup-do-khat-vong-djokovic-2449591.html
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