SHANGHAI (Reuters) -Jannik Sinner's bid to retain his Shanghai Masters title ended in agonising fashion on Sunday when the world number two was forced to retire mid-match against Tallon Griekspoor due to debilitating cramp in humid conditions.
Griekspoor was leading the third-round clash 6-7(3) 7-5 3-2 when Sinner suffered cramp in his thigh, forcing him to retire after more than 2-1/2 hours on court.
"This is definitely not the way you want to win. Brutal conditions here in Shanghai all week," said
Griekspoor, who had lost all six encounters against Sinner prior to Sunday's match.
"I thought we were still a little bit lucky to play in the evening without the 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."
Sinner had begun to struggle in the second set, leading him to frantically apply an ice towel around his neck at changeovers.
The defending champion was visibly limping and massaging his thigh in the decider and in the sixth game, he limped back to his chair with the help of the physio before he was forced to make the call to retire.
DJOKOVIC SEEKS FIFTH SHANGHAI TITLE
Sinner's retirement and world number one Carlos Alcaraz's withdrawal due to an ankle injury blows the draw wide open, with Novak Djokovic in the hunt for a record-extending fifth title in Shanghai.
The 38-year-old fourth seed battled past Yannick Hanfmann with a 4-6 7-5 6-3 victory in a match that lasted two hours and 45 minutes.
"It's the same for every player out on the court, but it's brutal," Djokovic said when describing the conditions in Shanghai.
"It's brutal when you have over 80% of humidity day after day, particularly for the guys when they're playing during the day with heat, with sun, it's even more brutal.
"For me, biologically it's a bit more challenging to deal with it. But I had to really weather the storm today. Yannick played an incredible match from the beginning."
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in BengaluruEditing by Toby Davis)
