On Monday, August 18, Jannik Sinner sent shockwaves through the tennis world when he retired from the Cincinnati Open finals mid-game. Reacting to this development, Spanish World No. 18 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina demanded changes from the ATP as he lamented the condition of players.The men's singles finals in Cincinnati between Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz was a highly anticipated match. The duo are undoubtedly the two most dominant players on the ATP tour at the moment, and fans were expecting a thrilling marathon match that is the norm for them.However, on Monday, Jannik Sinner retired from the Cincinnati Open finals after just 23 minutes of play. Reacting to this, Fokina wrote 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.”Fokina himself fell victim to the hectic schedule of the ATP Tour earlier this month, as he was forced to retire mid-game from his round of 16 encounter against Andrey Rublev at the Canadian Open.Carlos Alcaraz weighs in on Jannik Sinner's Cincinnati Open retirementSinner and Alcaraz at the Cincinnati Open 2025 - (Image Source: Getty)On Monday, the men's singles finals at the Cincinnati Open saw Jannik Sinner struggle from the very beginning of the match. The Italian was in visible discomfort, holding his stomach multiple times during the game.After the match, the defending champion apologised to the crowd and Carlos Alcaraz, while extending his best wishes to the latter for the upcoming US Open.Reacting to Sinner’s abrupt mid-game retirement, Alcaraz explained that he felt sorry for his longtime rival, telling the Tennis Channel,“Well, to be honest, I feel sorry for him. I mean, I can understand how he can feel right now. It’s not easy to stop the match in a final. I didn't know at the beginning of the match to be honest, but after the third game, I know him pretty well. I’m obviously disappointed at the end, just to play five games against him. And I just wish him all the best just to be ready as soon as possible for the US Open.”At the US Open, Jannik Sinner is supposed to kick off his mixed doubles campaign on Tuesday, August 19. In the men's singles event, the World No.1 is the defending champion. However, his participation in both events has come under question following his retirement from the Cincinnati Open.