Jannik Sinner was forced to retire at the Rolex Shanghai Masters due to painful cramps.
On Sunday, October 5, the Italian plater’s title defence came to an end during the deciding set of his third-round clash with Tallon Griekspoor.
Griekspoor was leading Sinner 6-7(3), 7-5, 3-2 when the world No. 2 retired due to severe cramp in the sweltering Shanghai heat.
Sinner was visibly struggling with cramp in his right thigh, which seemed to worsen in the second set.
He tried to find some relief by applying ice towels to his neck during the break before the third set.
However, he retired as he could not bear any more pain.
As a result, Tallon won and became the Dutchman to reach the fourth round in Shanghai tournament history.
In the post-game interview, he said, “This is definitely not the way you want to win. Brutal conditions here in Shanghai all week already. I thought we were a little bit lucky to play in the evening without sun, but two hours and 36 minutes on the clock, middle of the third set… I’m sorry for him, I wish him a speedy recovery.”
Tallon added, “The first set was high quality from both, very dominant in the service games. I thought he played an unbelievable tie-break: He hit a couple of lines, served really well. I got a bit lucky at 3-4 in the second, where I saved 0/40."
Tallon Griekspoor is set to play against Valentin Vacherot next in China.
