Steve Johnson finds Jannik Sinner's recent cramping issues "weird," especially knowing that the Italian tennis star competed against Carlos Alcaraz for nearly six hours in the French Open final and didn't deal face similar problems.
At the start of October, Sinner's Shanghai Masters title defense came to an early end after the world No. 2 retired while trailing to Tallon Griekspoor in the third set of their third-round match. Prior to retiring, the four-time Grand Slam champion heavily cramped and even needed assistance to get to his bench.
Last week, Sinner made it past his opening four matches in Vienna in straight sets. In the final, the top seed appeared to struggle physically at times. Still, the Italian managed to get over the hump and edge out Alexander Zverev 3-6 6-3 7-5. Afterward, he acknowledged that it was a challenging day for him.
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Note - between Shanghai and Vienna, Sinner played at the Six Kings Slam and won the star-studded exhibition after winning three matches.
Johnson: Why is Sinner cramping in consecutive ATP tournaments?
"I don't know. Why's he cramping? In Shanghai, I mean, that one's more understandable because of the weather and the humidity and stuff, but is this a troubling sign that he's cramped now two tournaments in a row? I guess not for him, I guess he played the Six Kings Slam and it didn't look like he cramped there, but like, that's weird," Johnson said on the Nothing Major Show.
"Like, the guy's played six hours. We've watched him play the French Open final. He cramped a little bit in the fifth set, but like, that's a lot of pressure, anxiety and a lot of tennis to be played. But even when he's cramping he's the best tennis player in the world."
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This week, Sinner is making his fourth Paris Masters appearance. The Italian had a first-round bye and faces Zizou Bergs in the second round.
