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Stefanos Tsitsipas retired against Holger Rune at the ATP Finals after only three games, not feeling well and leaving the court after 17 minutes. Thus, the Greek lost any chance to fight for a place in the semi-final. Tsitsipas left the court with no energy to carry his bags, struggling since arriving in Turin and barely surviving a couple of games.
If Novak Djokovic beats Jannik Sinner tonight, Sinner and Rune will fight in the last round-robin duel to determine the semi-finalist. Stefanos forced Holger’s mistake in the first game and created a break chance. The Dane denied it with a smash winner before the Greek earned the second with a forehand return winner.
Rune saved it with a service winner and fired another to bring the game home and avoid an early setback. Stefanos fired a forehand winner at the net at 30-30 in the second game but missed a routine forehand on a game point.
Stefanos Tsitsipas retired at the ATP Finals in Turin.
Tsitsipas seized the second with a service winner, leveling the score at 1-1. Rune fired an ace in game three for 40-15 and brought the game home with a service winner.
Struggling with his movement and lacking energy, Stefanos called for a medical timeout and retired after speaking with a doctor. Tsitsipas faced Jannik Sinner two days ago and suffered a 6-4, 6-4 loss in an hour and 25 minutes.
The Greek insisted it was all OK with him, but that was not the case, already reducing his training during the practice days. Sinner had the upper hand against Tsitsipas, serving well and keeping the pressure on the other side.
The home favorite dropped ten points in ten service games, taming his strokes nicely and sealing the deal with a couple of breaks on his tally. Tsitsipas could not follow the rival’s pace, suffering a break in the middle of the opener and another at the beginning of the second set.
After losing to Novak Djokovic in a thriller in the first match, Holger earned his first ATP Finals win against Stefanos, improving his chances in the Green Group. Djokovic and Sinner play later tonight, and the Italian and the Dane will most likely determine the second semi-finalist on Thursday.
Hubert Hurkacz is the first alternate in Turin, and he should face Novak Djokovic in the last round-robin match.
