After winning the Wimbledon Championships, Jannik Sinner took a break to keep himself fresh and fully prepared for the US swing. He withdrew his name from the Canadian Open, citing, “I need to prioritize my health.” Following that break, Sinner made a strong start at the 2025 Cincinnati Open and went all the way to the finals. But in the final match against Carlos Alcaraz, he was forced to retire after playing just five games. Following that disappointing end to this epic finale, Sinner apologized to the fans, saying, “I’m super, super sorry to disappoint you.” But more than the disappointment, there is a new set of worries among the tennis fans.
Previously, after the withdrawal of Emma Navarro, Jannik Sinner had to go in search of a new partner for the mixed doubles event. Although finally, he managed to get re-paired with the current world number 2 in doubles, Katerina Siniakova, as things stand now, perhaps the Czech superstar has to find a new partner. Reason? After the final, Sinner gave a hint that he might need at least a couple of days for recovery. As per the schedule, Sinner and Siniakova are all set to play against Alexander Zverev and Belinda Bencic in just a few hours from now.
If not Jannik Sinner, who could possibly be the replacement for him? Tennis bigwig, Jon Wertheim, tweeted, “No way is Jannik Sinner pulling out of @CincyTennis today and then playing a mixed doubles event tomorrow…. We renew our appeal to give Rajeev Ram a @usopen a mixed wild card!” But seeing this tweet, a former American pro, Mardy Fish, commented, “How bout another actual tennis player?“
If we take a look at their career stats, Rajeev Ram has been ranked world number one in doubles by the ATP on October 3, 2022. He is also a six-time Grand Slam champion (four in doubles + two in mixed doubles). Mardy Fish had mostly found success in his singles career. Although he never won a major title in his career, he did manage to reach the quarterfinals of the Grand Slam event thrice (in singles). Fish’s best record at the doubles was reaching the SF of the 2009 Wimbledon Championships.
Highlighting this dislike for Ram by Fish, an IG page named ‘notyourcountryclub’ wrote, “The two have not spoken since Fish opted not to take the World No. 1 Doubles player Ram ahead of the 2022 Davis Cup. USA would lose to Italy in the quarterfinals. Ram says Fish blocked him on all social media after he expressed how he felt. Meanwhile, Ram just won another Masters 1000 this week @cincytennis.“
Another tennis journalist, Jon Wertheim, shared his thoughts about the same saying, “We know it’s personal, but still…” Previously, while talking about the snub from the 2022 Davis Cup during an interview on Christopher Clarey’s Tennis & Beyond website, he revealed that he had a chat with the USTA afterwards, and it wasn’t more of an apology. But more of an explanation saying that the captain has basically full autonomy. There was a sort of disagreement on that at that time.
Talking about why Wertheim named Ram as a probable replacement for Jannik Sinner, other than winning the mixed doubles event at the AO twice (2019,2021), Rajeev Ram also won the silver medal for his nation at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
How bout another actual tennis player
— Mardy Fish (@MardyFish) August 18, 2025
With his recent triumph at the Cincinnati Open, he became the second-oldest men’s doubles champion at this tournament. “Tennis, right? Crazy stories. This is our (on playing with Nikola Mektić) third tournament together, even though we’ve known each other for three decades, probably. Thank you so much, I can’t thank you enough, and it was a pleasure playing this week,” said Rajeev Ram in the presentation ceremony. Will he replace Jannik Sinner or not? Time will tell. But Sinner’s withdrawal from the final is surely a big concern ahead of the US Open.
“I can collapse any moment” – Jannik Sinner’s raising concerns in the middle of his match
This was Jannik Sinner‘s fourteenth meeting with Carlos Alcaraz on the Tour and also his sixth final against the Spaniard. Seeing the level of performance they put on display in both Roland Garros and Wimbledon finals, fans expected a similar intensity from both players in this duel. But Sinner was seen struggling right from the start of this match. He was broken three times, and after trailing in the first set by 0-5, Sinner was finally forced to take the call to withdraw from this match.
During the medical timeout, he was seen struggling to catch his breath. Later on, he even confessed to the umpire, “I feel I can collapse at any moment.” Following an apology to all the fans, he also revealed, “From yesterday, I didn’t feel great, but it got worse today. I couldn’t handle more. I’m really sorry. Congrats Carlos on another title. I wish you the best for the US Open. Sometimes it’s like this, and we have to accept it.” He claimed that this has been one of the warmest tournaments that they’ve ever played.
Seeing Sinner leave the court in such a way, Alcaraz said, “This is not the way that I want to win trophies, I just have to say sorry, I can understand how you must feel now.” Having said that, he also wished him a quick recovery. Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu will be playing against Jack Draper and Jessica Pegula in their mixed doubles match. Things look a bit tough for the Italian at the moment. If he somehow manages to play in the mixed doubles, it’d be nothing short of a miracle. If Sinner withdraws from this, who do you think could be the right person to replace him?
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