Jannik Sinner had little to celebrate even after a sensational first-time victory over Mackenzie McDonald at the Paris Masters this week. His match had begun shortly before midnight and continued until half past two a.m., leaving him exhausted.
Sinner withdraws from event
The Italian player was fresh off his Erste Bank Open victory when he landed in the city of lights. And after his impressive run of form over the past few weeks, including his stunning win over his nemesis, World No. 3 Daniil Medvedev, in Beijing and Vienna, respectively, people were wondering how he’d fare in the Paris Masters.
However, in a surprising turn of events, Sinner was forced to make a decision after a late-night match victory that left him drained.
Sinner started his match after midnight and finished it at 2:37 AM, recording scores 6-7 7-5 6-1 to prevail over American player McDonald in Round 32 of the Masters 1000 event.
Sinner’s Late Late Show 📺@janniksin defeats McDonald 6-7 7-5 6-1 to earn a first ever victory at the #RolexParisMasters 💪 pic.twitter.com/sYcyjMRTLu
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 2, 2023
A late-night game was one thing for Sinner, but to play just 14 hours later was another. And this was what prompted Sinner to mull things over.
There were high stakes in the competition, and he had a shot at progressing through the next rounds. But with such short turn-around time, his body, in the process, will most definitely get destroyed.
Opting to prioritize his health, Sinner decided that it would be best to withdraw from the event. He announced his decision on his social media X, saying, “I am sorry to announce that I am withdrawing from today’s match in Bercy. I finished the match when it was almost three in the morning and didn’t go to bed until a few hours later. I had less than 12 hours rest to prepare for the next game.”
“I have to make the right decision for my health and my body,” Sinner said in his post. “The weeks ahead with the ATP Finals at home and the Davis Cup will be very important, now I focus on preparing for these important events. See you in Turin.”
Sono dispiaciuto di annunciare che mi ritiro della partita di oggi a Bercy. Ho finito il match quando erano quasi le 3 del mattino e sono andato a letto solo qualche ora più tardi. Avevo meno di 12 ore per riposarmi e preparare la prossima partita.
— Jannik Sinner (@janniksin) November 2, 2023
The ATP Tour also announced his withdrawal on X, writing: “Next stop: Turin. Following his late finish in his win against McDonald last night, @janniksin has withdrawn from the #RolexParisMasters.
Next stop: Turin 🇮🇹👍
Following his late finish in his win against McDonald last night, @janniksin has withdrawn from the #RolexParisMasters. pic.twitter.com/fEwrPXW1dL
— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 2, 2023
Tennis fans enraged at ATP’s scheduling
Apparently, Sinner wasn’t the only one who was faced with the dilemma, as Djokovic was also just given a small window of time to recover from his previous game: 14.5 hours.
Enraged at ATP’s scheduling that forced Sinner out, the tennis fans rallied on social media and expressed their worries over the players.
One fan showed a timeline of Sinner’s schedule at the event and captioned it, “Tournament not up to par, poorly planned, players’ physical health not guaranteed. ATP, what are you for?”
Tournament not up to par, poorly planned, players' physical health not guaranteed.
ATP, what are you for? pic.twitter.com/7lRnEma2f7
— PVBMV (@PpVBMV) November 2, 2023
While another fan stated, “What a sad state of affairs for the sport when one of your top players has to withdraw because of poor scheduling. Tennis does itself no favours & it’s organisation is to blame. If you want to bring people to the sport, this is NOT the way to do it! This is a shambles & shameful.”
What a sad state of affairs for the sport when one of your top players has to withdraw because of poor scheduling. Tennis does itself no favours & it's organisation is to blame. If you want to bring people to the sport, this is NOT the way to do it! This is a shambles & shameful.
— Mary Gorgens (@MaryGorgens) November 2, 2023
Norwegian tennis player Casper Rudd also took a shot at the ATP for putting Djokovic in a tough position and said, “Bravo @atptour👏👏 way to help one of the best players in the world recover and be as ready as possible when he finished his previous match at 2:37 am this morning👍👍 14,5 hours to recover.. what a joke🤦
Bravo @atptour 👏👏 way to help one of the best players in the world recover and be as ready as possible when he finished his previous match at 2:37 am this morning👍👍 14,5 hours to recover.. what a joke🤦 https://t.co/X5GsgY7scj
— Casper Ruud (@CasperRuud98) November 2, 2023
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