The Masters 1000 final in Cincinnati on 18/8 ended abruptly after about 20 minutes when Sinner retired due to illness. At the time, the Italian player was trailing Alcaraz 5-0 and was clearly not at his best, making more unforced errors than usual.

After Sinner's retirement, Alcaraz went over to the Italian's seat to console him. This gesture was widely praised by fans as a demonstration of sportsmanship between two of the world's top players.

Alcaraz consoles Sinner after the Cincinnati Open final on 18/8. Photo: Reuters

Alcaraz consoles Sinner after the Cincinnati Open final on 18/8. Photo: Reuters

However, Roddick believes Alcaraz should have acted differently.

"The only mistake Carlos made all week was getting too close to Sinner knowing he wasn't well," the former American player said on his podcast, Served with Andy Roddick. "It might have just been a 24-hour bug, but I don't care. They don't need to be hugging at the net, even though they're both polite guys and I like them both very much."

Roddick suggested Alcaraz should have avoided Sinner if the Italian was ill to minimize the risk of infection before the US Open. "If I were Alcaraz's coach, I'd tell him, 'Go somewhere else! Don't go near Jannik, don't ask him if he's okay. Skip the obligatory photo ops. Don't go near him. Carlos, stay away if he's sick!'"

Roddick expressed his hope for Sinner's swift recovery before the US Open. He said, "Hopefully Sinner will be healthy for the last Grand Slam of the year. If he has a virus that lasts 4 or 5 days…I don't want to say that at all. Because if so, it will be very difficult for Jannik to prepare physically.”

After losing the Cincinnati title, Sinner acknowledged his poor health and apologized to his fans. "Thank you all for the support on the court and from afar, your support means the world to me. Congrats to Carlos and his team, he has played an amazing season and I wish him all the best for the future. Now time to rest for a few days before getting back to training," the Italian player wrote.

It's rare for a player to retire mid-match during a Grand Slam or Masters 1000 final. Sinner's case is one of only four such instances in the Open Era.

The most recent precedent in a Masters 1000 final was at the 2014 Madrid Open, when Kei Nishikori retired against Rafael Nadal while trailing 6-2, 4-6, and 0-3 in the deciding set.

In Grand Slams, the most recent case occurred in the 2006 Australian Open women's final, when Justine Henin of Belgium retired due to stomach pain while trailing Amelie Mauresmo of France 1-6, 0-2.

Prior to Henin's case, at the 1990 Australian Open, Stefan Edberg of Sweden retired against Ivan Lendl due to an abdominal muscle injury while trailing 4-6, 7-6, and 2-5.

Ha Phuong (AS)