It felt like tennis had delivered the perfect script—world No. 1 Jannik Sinner versus world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz in a Masters 1000 final. Both had torn through the draw in Cincinnati, barely breaking a sweat, setting up the dream clash fans had been waiting for.

Look, we’ve all been there—you’re having what should be the match of your dreams, and suddenly your body decides to stage a full-blown revolt. But when you’re Jannik Sinner, the world’s number one tennis player,

Jannik Sinner is close to getting back on the court after retiring from the final in Cincinnati with an illness.

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and Jannik Sinner of Italy during the Men's Singles Final match on day twelve of the Cincinnati Open 2025 at Lindner Family Tennis Center on August 18, 2025 in Mason, Ohio. The ATP Tour then released quotes from Sinner in which he spoke about the U.S. Open.

Jannik Sinner fell ill a day before his Cincinnati Masters final against Carlos Alcaraz. And as a consequence, he withdrew from the match after trailing 0-5 in the first set.

Speaking on ESPN, his coach Darren Cahill finally revealed the cause of Jannik's malaise: “I spoke to him briefly last night. He was feeling a bit better last night. He will take today off as well, that’s the plan, and hopefully get on the court tomorrow and start hitting a few balls….We are confident he’s going to be fine.”