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 However, he has officially withdrawn from the competition.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Grigor Dimitrov has also withdrawn from the tournament, leading to Jakub Mensik and Roberto Bautista Agut stepping in to occupy the open slots in the roster.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.”

Boris Becker has shared his advice for Alexander Zverev ahead of the German’s Australian Open semi-final clash against Novak Djokovic: don’t fall for Djokovic’s mind games, take control of the match, and try to prolong the encounter.

Zverev faces a daunting challenge as he prepares to meet Djokovic for the 13th time. The Serbian holds an 8-4 advantage in their head-to-head record, including five victories on outdoor hard courts. Making matters tougher, Djokovic has found renewed form, silencing whispers of potential retirement with a dominant display in Melbourne.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion showcased his class in the quarter-finals, defeating Carlos Alcaraz 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in a vintage performance. Djokovic’s record at the Australian Open is nothing short of extraordinary, with a perfect 10-0 in both semi-finals and finals at Rod Laver Arena.

Recent speculation around Djokovic allegedly exaggerating injuries to gain a psychological edge has added intrigue to his matches. Against Alcaraz, he appeared to struggle at times, but John McEnroe cautioned players not to be misled, as Djokovic still came out on top.

For Zverev, overcoming the formidable Serbian will require not only physical endurance but also mental resilience to counter one of the sport’s greatest competitors.

Becker urged Zverev to stick to his own strengths “whatever his opponents”.

“Novak has been through it all,” the six-time Grand Slam winner told Eurosport.

“No one has played more Grand Slam matches, no one has won more Grand Slams. He really has experienced everything you can experience on the tennis court.

“Sascha has to stick to his game and show his strengths – his serve, his baseline strokes and his fitness. He mustn’t let himself be put off his game, whatever his opponent does.”

Zverev is striving to secure his first-ever final at the season-opening Grand Slam, and tennis legend Boris Becker believes that, beyond a bit of luck, a solid game plan will be essential for him to overcome the former world No. 1.

“It takes a lot of courage to go where he’s never been before – to the final of the Australian Open,” he said.

“Then, of course, a bit of luck, hitting the line or getting a good decision from the umpire. That’s also part of it. And decisiveness, being ready for the big day.

“If the match goes on for a long time, Djokovic is no longer quite as strong as he was two or three years ago. Sascha Zverev is known for his physical strength – he’s sometimes called the marathon man because he’s had to go over five sets so often. The question is how the first sets will end.

“Sascha is playing a bit more offensively this year, closer to the baseline. That starts with his serve, but also has to include the return.

“It’s important for the match against Djokovic that he sets the pace and takes the initiative. Because if Djokovic lets you run, then you have no chance.”

Novak Djokovic’s injury during his gripping victory over Carlos Alcaraz at the 2025 Australian Open has sparked widespread discussion in the tennis world.

Despite the setback, Djokovic secured a remarkable 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 win against his 21-year-old opponent. The 37-year-old required treatment for a leg injury when trailing 5-4 in the first set.

Djokovic’s movement was visibly affected late in the opening set and throughout much of the second, as he appeared to struggle with discomfort. However, he adopted an ultra-aggressive playing style to claim the second set, with his mobility and overall performance improving as the match progressed.

During a medical timeout, Djokovic had his left thigh strapped and later revealed that he had taken two doses of medication to manage the pain. The tennis legend admitted that he might have considered retiring from the match if he had not managed to win the second set.

“Well, since I’m still in the tournament I don’t want to reveal too much obviously,” the 24-time major champion winner told Jim Courier in his on-court interview.

“Yeah, the medication started to kick in and they helped, no doubt. I had to take another dose, I mean this sounds awful (laughs), me taking another dose, but I had to.

“I didn’t know, to be honest, if I lost that second set, I don’t know if I would continue playing, but I felt better and better. Managed to play a great couple of games to end up the second set.

“And then I saw that Carlos was hesitant a little bit from back of the court and I took my chances, started to feel better, started to move better. It didn’t create any hinderance towards the end of the match, only in that second set.

“Obviously when the medications start to release, I’ll see what the reality is tomorrow morning. But yeah, right now I will just try to be in the moment and enjoy this victory.”

Commentating on the match for ESPN, McEnroe controversially claimed that Djokovic was tactically feigning injury against Alcaraz.

“This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this routine. Don’t be fooled,” said the seven-time Grand Slam singles champion.

After Djokovic won the second set, McEnroe’s brother and co-commentator Patrick McEnroe asked him in disbelief: “Did you see this coming!?”

“Yes,” the elder McEnroe replied.

Novak Djokovic encountered similar allegations during the 2023 Australian Open, where he overcame a hamstring injury to claim his 10th title at the tournament. Australian doubles legend Todd Woodbridge accused Djokovic of “playing up” the injury.

Following his fourth-round victory against Alex de Minaur in Melbourne, Djokovic addressed the skepticism surrounding his injuries, criticizing the double standards and highlighting that other players are not subjected to the same level of scrutiny.

“I leave the doubting to those people – let them doubt,” the tennis great told Serbian media.

“Only my injuries are questioned. When some other players are injured, then they are the victims, but when it is me, I am faking it. It is very interesting. I don’t feel that I need to prove anything to anyone.

“I have got the MRI, ultrasound and everything else, both from two years ago and now. Whether I will publish that in my documentary or on social media depends on how I feel. Maybe I will do I it, maybe I won’t.

“I am not really interested at this point what people are thinking and saying. It is fun, it is interesting to see how the narrative surrounding me continues, narrative that is different compared to other players that have been going through similar situations. But I am used to it and it just gives me extra strength and motivation. So I thank them for that.”

While he did not want to give too much away about the injury he suffered against Alcaraz, Djokovic did reveal it was similar to his hamstring issue at the 2023 Australian Open.

“I’m not going to go into details, but it’s very similar to what I had few years ago. 2023, to be exact. I haven’t done any tests obviously,” he explained in his press conference.

“I mean, I’ve done tests with the physio when they took me off the court, when I had the medical timeout. He strapped me, and then the doctor gave me some medication, so forth, some painkillers. That kicked in after 20, 30 minutes. It did help. Then I had to take another dose I think in the beginning of the fourth.

“Yeah, now that it’s cooling off, I can start to feel different things. Let’s see how it goes tomorrow and day by day.”

The Serbian added: “Now it’s really about recovery. I’m concerned. I am, to be honest, physically. But if I manage somehow to, yeah, be physically good enough, I think mentally, emotionally I’m as motivated as I can be.”

Djokovic will play world No 2 Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals at Melbourne Park on Friday.