Carlos Alcaraz had some kind words for Jannik Sinner after their Cincinnati Open final ended prematurely. The Spaniard was 5-0 up in the opening set when the Italian decided to retire from the match.
Carlos Alcaraz on Cincinnati Open Triumph and ‘Champion’ Jannik Sinner
Sinner looked to be on the back foot from the start of the match as he looked far from his physical best, and Alcaraz cruised to a 5-0 lead in just over 20 minutes. At this point, the World No. 1 decided to retire from the match, thus making the Spaniard the Cincinnati Open champion.
After the match, Alcaraz signed the camera by writing:
“Sorry Jannik.”
Carlos Alcaraz signs the camera for Jannik Sinner after he retired from their match in the Cincinnati final:
“Sorry Jannik ☹️” pic.twitter.com/EnGGBFzAYR
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 18, 2025
The World No. 2 then gave a classy winner’s speech, where he said he did not want to win the match in this. Alcaraz also had some kind words for Sinner, wishing the Italian a strong comeback.
“As you said Jannik this isn’t the way I want to win matches, to win a trophy. I just gotta say sorry. I know and understand how you can feel right now. All I can say, as I said many many times, you are truly a champion. I’m pretty sure from this situation you’re gonna come back better, even stronger. You always do. That’s what true champions do. You really are one. Sorry and come back stronger,” Alcaraz said.
“You are going to come back better and stronger, you always do.” 🩵
The always classy @CarlosAlcaraz 👏 #cincytennis pic.twitter.com/JzHHfly9Zp
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) August 18, 2025
The match also marked the first time since 2011 that the men’s singles final in Cincinnati ended in a player retiring.
Alcaraz Leads 3-1 Against Sinner in 2025
With the Cincinnati Open final done and dusted, Alcaraz has now won three out of four matches against Sinner so far in 2025. He previously beat the World No. 1 in two clay-court finals in Rome and the French Open.
The only time Sinner came out on top against Alcaraz this year was in the Wimbledon final, during which, he lost the first set before triumphing 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Alcaraz now has a 9-5 head-to-head lead over his rival.
Both players will next head to New York for the US Open, where they had contrasting campaigns last year. While Sinner won the hard-court, Alcaraz suffered a straight-set defeat to Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round.
