The Paris Masters organizers are receiving harsh backlash for their scheduling, as Jannik Sinner had to withdraw due to a late-night match.
The fourth-ranked Italian player, who has been performing exceptionally well, did not finish his second-round win against Mackenzie McDonald until 2:37am on Thursday. He was then slated to face Alex de Minaur at 5pm on the same day.
Eighth-ranked Casper Ruud took to social media to criticise the scheduling, writing on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Bravo atptour way to help one of the best players in the world recover and be as ready as possible when he finished his previous match at 2:37 am this morning 14,5 hours to recover … what a joke.”
Sinner, who has won two titles in his past three tournaments, including the recent Vienna tournament, announced his withdrawal due to fatigue approximately 90 minutes before the match was scheduled to begin.
“I regret to inform you that I will not be participating in today’s match in Bercy,” stated Sinner on X. “I completed the previous match close to 3 in the morning and only had a few hours of rest before having to play again. With less than 12 hours to recover and prepare, I have to prioritize my health and well-being. The upcoming weeks hold significant events such as the ATP Finals and Davis Cup, so my focus will now be on preparing for those. Looking forward to seeing you in Turin! Forza!”
Minaur advances to the quarter-finals and will face the fifth seed, Rublev, who beat van de Zandschulp 6-3, 6-3.
Novak Djokovic extended his victorious run to 15 matches and advanced to his ninth consecutive Paris Masters quarter-final after defeating Tallon Griekspoor 4-6 7-6(2) 6-4. Despite facing a set deficit and a stomach problem, he fought hard to secure the win.
Grigor Dimitrov continued his good form, beating Alexander Bublik 6-2, 6-2 but Roman Safiullin was unable to follow up his upset of Carlos Alcaraz, losing out 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 to fellow Russian Karen Khachanov.
Source: theguardian.com
