Jannik Sinner has decided to pull out of his upcoming tournament following his Australian Open victory, needing time to rest after an intense run in Melbourne.
The young Italian star convincingly defeated Alexander Zverev in Sunday’s final, securing his title for the second consecutive year in straight sets.
Sinner was set to compete next at the Rotterdam Open, where he was the defending champion from 2024. However, he has officially withdrawn from the competition.
In a statement, Sinner said: “After consulting with my team we had to take the difficult decision to withdraw from the ABN AMRO Open. My body needs time to rest after the long run in Australia.
“I have great memories from winning the title in front of amazing crowds at Rotterdam Ahoy last year and hope to be back there soon.”
Tournament director Richard Krajicek said it was a ‘great shame’ that Sinner will not be competing at the event, which is due to begin this weekend.
“The Australian Open has been long and tough for Jannik,” said Krajicek. “It is a great shame for both him and us that his efforts are preventing him from participating in Rotterdam.”
Grigor Dimitrov has also withdrawn from the tournament, leading to Jakub Mensik and Roberto Bautista Agut stepping in to occupy the open slots in the roster.
With Sinner out, Carlos Alcaraz steps up as the new top seed at the Rotterdam Open. He’ll be accompanied by players like Daniil Medvedev, Alex de Minaur, and Andrey Rublev, along with past winners Felix Auger-Aliassime and Stan Wawrinka.
Tournament director Krajicek stressed the significance of maintaining a robust lineup to keep the competition’s quality high, even when leading players decide to withdraw.
He said: “An important reason to set up a broad line-up with many top players is the fact that you can be confronted with a withdrawal. We are convinced that we will experience a great week of tennis with the players that will be present.”
