Sinner's Coach Provides Reason Behind Cincinnati Retirement and Details US Open Plans

Jannik Sinner retired from the final at the Cincinnati Open, which also derailed his plans for the US Open this year a bit.

Everything was looking great for Sinner ahead of the ATP Masters 1000 final in Cincinnati. He was on a winning streak, playing well, and even a favorite against Carlos Alcaraz. But no one expected what happened next.

Sinner retired from the match after just 20 minutes. The retirement didn't come out of the blue, as he was visibly struggling from the moment the first ball was hit, but it was still a surprising development, considering that before the match started, no one had an idea the Italian was struggling.

After his retirement, Sinner withdrew from the mixed doubles event at the US Open. His plans were derailed a bit, as he had to adjust after not feeling well on Monday evening.

His coach, Darren Cahill, now spoke on ESPN about the reason for Sinner's withdrawal, saying the World No. 1 player was hit by a virus, which made it impossible for him to compete against Alcaraz.

Sinner had to start his preparations for the last Grand Slam tournament of the season a bit later than he planned. Although his rivals like Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Jack Draper, and Alexander Zverev have already competed in the mixed doubles event and held numerous practice sessions, the Italian has yet to hit the tennis courts in New York.

That should change on Thursday. Cahill explained that Sinner already feels better and should complete his first practice session at Flushing Meadows on Thursday afternoon.

Cahill's words were confirmed when the practice schedule for Thursday was released. Sinner will train with Francisco Comesana, starting their practice session at 11 a.m. ET on Court P1. After an hour, they will move to the Arthur Ashe Stadium for another hour from 12 p.m. ET.

Sinner will get a chance to meet three of his biggest rivals in the title fight on the court, images that tennis fans will likely be able to see on social media. The reason is simple, before he steps onto the Arthur Ashe Stadium, Carlos Alcaraz will have his practice session with Lorenzo Musetti.

After Sinner and Comesana finish, unless the Italian's practice would need to be cut short because of some physical discomfort, he will also have a chance to meet Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev, who will practice after them.