Jannik Sinner set an unwanted record after withdrawing from the 2025 Shanghai Masters

Unlike Carlos Alcaraz, who voluntarily withdrew from Shanghai after winning Tokyo, Sinner pursued a dual goal of Beijing and Shanghai. However, instead of successfully defending his title, the 24-year-old had to exit early, joining a rare and undesirable "blacklist" in Masters 1000 history.

Since the ATP’s elite series began in 1990, only four players have retired while defending their title. With two withdrawals at Cincinnati and Shanghai, Sinner became the first player in history to do so twice!

The story started in 1999 when Greg Rusedski had to quit his second-round match against Albert Costa at the Canada Masters after losing the first set in a tiebreak. In 2001, Marat Safin, the defending Canada Masters champion, also faced a similar fate, retiring in the first round against Nicolas Escude due to a knee injury. In 2005, Andy Roddick, the home favorite at Miami, had to leave early because of a wrist injury while playing Fernando Verdasco.

Two decades later, Sinner became the next "victim" of the harshness at the top level. He lost the Cincinnati crown to Carlos Alcaraz after a disastrous start and retired while trailing 0-5 in the first set due to physical exhaustion. Just months later, the painful scenario repeated in Shanghai.

Returning as the top seed in Alcaraz’s absence, Sinner started impressively with a tiebreak win over Griekspoor. However, in the second set, he missed six break points before his opponent secured a late break and won 7-5. In the third set, Sinner’s fitness completely collapsed due to cramps and a right leg injury. He tried to hold on for two games but fell after losing a game at 2-2. After medical consultation, the Italian player was forced to retire, ending the tournament bitterly.

This defeat once again reminds us that even the most fit and disciplined players cannot avoid physical limits. Two consecutive retirements at Cincinnati and Shanghai demonstrate the extreme toughness of modern tennis, where players must push themselves to the limit, sometimes to exhaustion, to chase glory—especially when trying to defend it.