Jannik Sinner retired with an apparent illness 23 minutes into the first set of the Cincinnati Open final against Carlos Alcaraz.

It felt like tennis had delivered the perfect script—world No. 1 Jannik Sinner versus world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz in a Masters 1000 final. Both had torn through the draw in Cincinnati, barely breaking a sweat, setting up the dream clash fans had been waiting for.

Nathan, a co-founder of the sports website Defector Media, has published “ Changeover: A Young Rivalry and a New Era of Men’s Tennis ” with Gallery Books. He spent the 2024 season squarely focused on Sinner and Alcaraz, in which they split the four majors and accelerated their ascension into a tennis stratosphere of their own creation.

Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz has his sights set on reclaiming the ATP World No. 1 ranking from Jannik Sinner at the upcoming US Open.

Afterward, Sinner didn't have a traditional press conference. Instead, he was asked a couple of questions by the ATP media and provided answers. One of the things asked was if there was anything specific he wanted to work on going into the US Open.

Jannik Sinner learned two things from his childhood as a ski racer that he uses on the tennis court. The first: good balance. And second: There are more painful outcomes than losing. “In tennis you can get hurt,