Jannik Sinner defended by Osaka's former coach after Shanghai retirement

Thursday, 09 October 2025 at 17:38

byJordan Reynolds

Patrick Mouratoglou is unimpressed by the criticism of Jannik Sinner after his retirement at the 2025 Shanghai Masters, and outlined how challenging the brutal conditions are for players.

Sinner retired in his round-of-32 match against Tallon Griekspoor. The pair had an intense battle before the Italian began severely cramping, with the score at 7-6, 5-7, 2-3, and could not continue afterward.

That unfortunate moment was caused by a combination of the match's lengthy rallies and the extreme heat and humidity in Shanghai, which has been problematic for Sinner as well as several others.

Novak Djokovic vomited twice in his match against Yannick Hanfmann before falling and being sprawled on the ground for about 15 seconds after losing the second set against Jaume Munar.

Alexander Zverev was another man who found the heat and humidity challenging to manage. Unlike Djokovic, they could not fight through and were eliminated from the Shanghai Masters by Arthur Rinderknech.

Mouratoglou had a lengthy and successful period with Serena Williams until early 2022. His spells with Simona Halep, Holger Rune, and Naomi Osaka were less successful, and some think he should have been punished for his role in Halep's doping suspension.

The Frenchman has been unemployed since he and Osaka parted ways in August. That gives him more time to analyze tennis topics, which he did in an Instagram video about what makes Asia's conditions so brutal.

Mouratoglou's Instagram post with the video included a brief written message expressing disdain for those who made light of Sinner's retirement, and offering sympathy for the ATP world No. 2.

"Some said he did it on purpose. No… what Sinner had to endure was brutal — a classic example of what it’s like to play in extreme humidity. Let me explain what it feels like to compete in those conditions."

In the video, Mouratoglou described how the type of humidity in Asia means players must be cautious about water intake, and said Sinner's cramping against Griekspoor contrasted with when it happened at the 2024 French Open.

"To explain Sinner's cramps, there is only one word: humidity. Fritz had the same problem, we saw Novak Djokovic throw up two times. It's not the first time that Jannik cramped. He had cramps against Carlos at Roland Garros (in 2024), but this was from tension. Until it happens to you, there is no reason to change anything."

"Once it happens, his team is probably going to organize how to play differently next time in such conditions. Probably, increase the drinking before the match, because, during the match, at a certain point, you cannot drink more. This is why water drop is so important, because, when you sweat you're losing everything in your body that you need to function."

Mouratoglou then described why the conditions in Asia are more brutal than at the Australian Open, even though Melbourne's temperatures during the tournament can be higher.

"Everyone says that the conditions at the Australian Open are extreme. 39 degress is brutal, but it is not even close to what players can experience in Asia, or New York sometimes. Most brutal conditions: Asia No. 1, US Open, Cincinnati, and Miami on the humid days, and Australian Open No. 3."