The organizers of the Paris Masters are receiving strong backlash for their scheduling as Jannik Sinner pulled out due to a late-night match.
The fourth-ranked Italian player, who is currently in top form, finished his second-round win against Mackenzie McDonald at 2:37am on Thursday morning. He was then expected to face Alex de Minaur at 5pm on the same day.
Casper Ruud, ranked eighth in the world, used a social media platform, previously known as Twitter, to express his disappointment with the scheduling. He wrote, “Well done ATP Tour for not helping one of the top players in the world to recover and prepare properly. After finishing his previous match at 2:37 am this morning, he only had 14.5 hours to recover… what a joke.”
90 minutes before the match was set to begin, it was officially announced that Sinner, who had won two titles in his last three tournaments (including the Vienna tournament just a week prior), would not be participating due to fatigue.
“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 was unable to sleep until a few hours later. With less than 12 hours to rest and recover, I must prioritize my health and well-being. The upcoming weeks are crucial with the ATP Finals and Davis Cup being held at home, so I will now shift my focus towards preparing for these significant events. Looking forward to seeing you in Turin! Forza!”
De Minaur advances straight to the quarter-finals, where he will face fifth seed Andrey Rublev. Rublev defeated Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3, 6-3.
Novak Djokovic extended his unbeaten run to 15 matches and secured a spot in the quarter-finals of the Paris Masters for the ninth consecutive time. He defeated Tallon Griekspoor 4-6 7-6(2) 6-4 despite facing a set deficit and dealing with stomach discomfort.
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.
