Jannik Sinner retires with cramps at Shanghai Masters against Tallon Griekspoor

Defending champion Jannik Sinner has retired in his second match (third round) of the Shanghai Masters 1000, due to cramping.

The world No. 2 was in a deciding set with Tallon Griekspoor when he called the trainer after obvious discomfort. After the third game, Sinner stood for the entire changeover, hoping to avoid cramping.

Two games later, trailing by a break at 2-3, the trainer worked on the Italian's right thigh, but it was clear that Sinner was unfit to continue after two hours and 35 minutes of play.

It's Griekspoor's first win over Sinner, who played the Dutchman four times last season. Griekspoor pushed Sinner to a third set in two of those matches, but in this encounter, the decider went his way—retirement or not.

“This is definitely not the way you want to win,” Griekspoor told the ATP. "Brutal conditions here in Shanghai all week already. I thought we were a little bit lucky to play in the evening without sun, but two hours and 36 minutes on the clock, middle of the third set… I’m sorry for him, I wish him a speedy recovery.”

The match has consequences on the ATP Race to Turin, with No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz now leading Sinner by a likely insurmountable 2,540 points.