'My mistake': Jannik Sinner explains cramping episode in Shanghai

Tuesday, 14 October 2025 at 19:21

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byErik Virostko

Jannik Sinner will return to the tennis courts less than two weeks after his retirement at the Shanghai Masters, and he now looked back on that situation.

Sinner last played at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Shanghai, which ended differently than expected for the Italian player. He was the overwhelming favorite to win the title after Carlos Alcaraz's withdrawal, but even Sinner didn't finish his tournament standing. The world No. 2 player retired from his third-round match against Tallon Griekspoor.

After missing a part of the season because of his suspension earlier this year, Sinner's schedule now appears to be very busy. After ending his Asian swing, he moved to Saudi Arabia, where he will be the defending champion at the second edition of the Six Kings Slam.

Ahead of the event, he spoke about his physical condition, as per Cronache di Spogliatoio, explaining that what happened in Shanghai was his fault, as he didn't handle the situation well.

"The cramps in Shanghai? I think they were due to a mental factor. I talked with my team — from that point of view I wasn’t perfect, but now everything’s fine. The mistake was mine: the heat and humidity got me down. You learn from these things — cramps can happen, and I was one of many to suffer from them."

Jannik Sinner excited for Saudi Arabia return, confirms his plans for the remainder of 2025

Sinner will be one of three players to compete in both of the first two editions of the Six Kings Slam. However, out of those three, he is the only one not to have a first-round bye this year.

Despite being last year's winner, Sinner wasn't given a first-round bye, as that was given to the world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic. Despite that, the Italian is excited to return to Riyadh, after which he plans to play at the Vienna Open, the Paris Masters, and the ATP Finals in Turin.

"Yes, I'm happy. It's the second year in a row that I've been able to play tennis here. We'll see what the atmosphere is like, but I'm happy. Every year is definitely different and every year has its own stories. I'm happy. I have some very tough opponents, and we'll see what I can do this year."

"I took two days off and then we got back to work: I feel good physically and mentally, we are ready here and for the next tournaments – Vienna, Paris, Turin – and we hope to finish the year on a high note."

Sinner's first opponent at the event will be Stefanos Tsitsipas, but even despite the Greek player's recent terrible form, the four-time Grand Slam champion sees him as a dangerous opponent.