US Open star demands change after Jannik Sinner pulls out of Cincinnati Open final while 5-0 down

Tennis star Alejandro Davidovich Fokina has called for a major change ahead of the US Open after Jannik Sinner was forced to retire during the Cincinnati Open final.

On Sunday afternoon, the final tennis major of 2025 will begin as the first matches of the US Open will be played at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.

Ahead of the tournament, many of the world's best players competed in the Cincinnati Open just days prior to the Open getting underway, including world number one Sinner.

But things didn't quite go to plan for the Italian in Cincinnati as, after reaching a final against main rival Carlos Alcaraz, he was forced to pull out due to illness partway through the opening set with the Spaniard leading 5-0.

And in the wake of the disappointing result, fellow top player Davidovich Fokina has taken to social media to call for a major change.

Jannik Sinner retired from his Cincinnati final clash with Carlos Alcaraz. (Image: Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images)

In the build-up to the US Open this year, the Masters 1000 tournaments in Canada and Cincinnati were extended to feature 96-player singles draws that last 12 days each.

This meant that the final for the Canadian Open was played on a Thursday, whole Cincinnati finished just six days before the US Open gets underway in New York.

According to Davidovich Fokina, this could explain why Sinner, and several other players, were forced to retire early in the Cincinnati Open ahead of one of the biggest tournaments of the year.

“A Monday final at 3pm in August in Cincinnati, after the whole Toronto–Cincinnati swing, with so many retirements and players dead tired… something needs to change,” he posted on X following Sinner’s retirement.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina was forced to retire from his Cincinnati Open match against Joao Fonseca. (Image: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

In the men’s singles main draw at the Cincinatti Open, Luciano Darderi, Camilo Ugo Carabelli, Jakub Mensik, Frances Tiafoe, Karen Khachanov, and Davidovich Fokina himself all retired during their matches.

Davidovich Fokina was leading Brazil's 18-year-old star Joao Fonseca by a set and was 4-0 in the second when Fonseca suddenly won five games in a row, and his opponent forfeited the match.

The world No. 18 also retired from his match against Russia's Andrey Rublev at the Canadian Open on August 3.