Alejandro Davidovich Fokina has questioned the scheduling and organisers of the Cincinnati Open after Jannik Sinner’s retirement against Carlos Alcaraz in the final.
Sinner’s illness forced him out of the Cincinnati Open, meaning Alcaraz won yet another ATP 1000 tournament.
Alcaraz won $1.1m at the Cincinnati Open as he closed in on Sinner as World No. 1 in the ATP Tour rankings.
Davidovich Fokina has questioned several things about the organisation of the tournament after the intense heat has meant many players have struggled throughout the last week.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina unhappy with tennis schedule after Jannik Sinner’s retirement
Sinner was not the only star to struggle at the Cincinnati Open, with Alexander Zverev also unable to handle the heat against Alcaraz.
Davidovich Fokina brought up issues with the schedule, the extended tournament, and the fatigue of players with a post on X.
“A Monday final at 3pm in August in Cincinnati, after the whole Toronto–Cincinnati swing, with so many retirements and players dead tired… something needs to change,” said
The Cincinnati Open and the Canadian Open both played out with extended formats, rather than the usual week they have been in the past.
The Canadian Open, in particular, had several high-profile withdrawals following the grass court season.
The US Open Mixed Doubles tournament doesn’t help with the schedule
This year’s hard-court American swing has only been worsened by the introduction of the US Open Mixed Doubles tournament.
The all-star tournament, with a $1m prize for the winners, will see some of the biggest players play a two-day tournament ahead of the singles US Open.
The likes of Iga Swiatek, Alcaraz, and Sinner are expected to play the tournament with less than 24 hours between the final.
The timing of the tournament could not come at a worse time, and tennis players are already voicing their concerns.