Jannik Sinner withdraws from Paris Masters and slams organizers for lack of rest after early-morning finish.

The exhausted Italian withdrew from the event in an unusual show of protest, accusing the organizers of not allowing him enough time to recover after finishing his previous encounter early in the morning.

PARIS (AP) — In an unusual show of defiance, Jannik Sinner withdrew from the Paris Masters on Thursday. The worn-out Italian said he was not given enough time to recover after finishing his previous match early in the morning.

The fourth-seeded Italian posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, “I am sorry to announce that I am withdrawing from today’s match in Bercy,” explaining his choice that gave his opponent Alex de Minaur, who was advancing straight to the quarterfinals, an easy win.

“I didn’t go to bed until a few hours after finishing the match, which was on Thursday at about three in the morning. Sinner remarked, “I had less than 12 hours to rest and be ready for the following game.

“I have to choose wisely for the sake of my body and my health. I’m currently concentrating on getting ready for the Davis Cup and the ATP Finals, which are both huge events that will take place at home in the coming weeks. I’ll see you in Turin! Bravo!

At 2:37 a.m. in Paris, Sinner had concluded his second-round bout with American Mackenzie McDonald.

Sinner was then supposed to participate in the day session’s fourth match on center court on Thursday rather than the night session. If he had been fit enough, the match versus de Minaur would have begun at approximately 5 p.m. local time.

Other players gave Sinner support.

Casper Ruud wrote on X, “14.5 hours to recover? What a joke.”

It’s absurd. Stan Wawrinka stated, “The tournament doesn’t care and ATP just follows what the tournament will want.”

In the third round, Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated Alexander Zverev 7-6 (2), 6-4 to earn a spot in the ATP Finals.

Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, Carlos Alcaraz, Sinner, and Andrey Rublev were already qualified for the Paris Masters.

With 37 winners against Zverev’s 28 this season, the seventh-seeded Tsitsipas achieved his first victory over a player ranked in the top ten.

“It is such a relief to have that area at last. To be in Turin, I’ve been training incredibly hard the entire year,” Tsitsipas declared. “I’m thrilled to be playing good tennis.”

The Greek led 3-0 but, with a backhand into the net, was unable to close out the opening set at 5-3.