'Something needs to change': Tennis pressured to revise stubborn approach after Sinner's Cincinnati final retirement

(Getty/Daniel Korpatsch)

Once again, another anti-climax in Cincinnati has caused fingers to point at tennis' main governing bodies after Jannik Sinner's sudden retirement against Carlos Alcaraz.

Commencing at 3pm local time, the top two seeds, Sinner and Alcaraz, contested the Masters 1000 final in sweltering conditions as hot as 32 degrees.

Shop with a 15% storewide discount code: SERVE15 - excludes clearance items, machines, court equipment and gift cards at www.tennisdirect.com.au

Broken to love in his opening service game, it was clear from the outset that Sinner was under the weather.

Down 0-5, the world No. 1 requested the doctor and physio, but the 2024 champion opted to retire, with one eye on next week's US Open.

"I'm super, super sorry to disappoint you, [but] from yesterday I didn't feel great," Sinner told the crowd. "I thought that I would improve during the night, but I came up worse.

"I tried to come out, tried to make it at least a small match, but I couldn't handle more, so I'm very sorry."

Alcaraz's subdued victory makes him the youngest player to win the event since Andy Murray in 2008, and the second youngest to win eight Masters 1000 crowns after Rafael Nadal.

Tennis' scheduling fiasco has been placed in the spotlight yet again, with a calendar further congested by two-week Masters tournaments instead of one week.

Three-time major finalist Alexander Zverev was visibly spent in the second set of his semi-final against Alcaraz, requiring the net for assistance to walk after shaking hands with the Spaniard.

Ben Shelton, who won the Toronto Masters 11 days ago, could only manage to claim four games in his defeat against Zverev in the quarter-finals.

World No.18 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina is demanding a rethink to the tight tennis schedule, pleading that players can't continue to suffer.

"A Monday final at 3pm in August in Cincinnati, after the whole Toronto-Cincinnati swing, with so many retirements and players dead tired...something needs to change," he wrote on X.

Subscribe to The First Serve via your preferred podcast platform and listen when it suits to our library of content, including The First Serve Live, our themed podcasts and our Aussie interviews on the road.

Sinner, who turned 24 on the weekend, did not hold a press conference with the media post-match. Instead, he provided a handful of quotes to the ATP.

Asked about the upcoming Grand Slam in New York, the Italian star mentioned that he will require "a couple of days of recovery," ruling him out of featuring in the newly revamped mixed doubles event alongside Kateřina Siniaková.

The mixed doubles gets underway at 1am, Wednesday August 20 AEST, with the singles main draw commencing on Monday August 25.

Sports turf that meets the moment, every match. Trust GreenLife Group for surfaces that let you play at your best. Elevate your game with expert sports ground management at GLGCorp.com.