Zverev and Fritz Speak Out on Jannik Sinner’s Absence

Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz, ranked No. 3 and No. 8 in the world, respectively, spoke at a press conference ahead of the Cincinnati Masters 1000, where they aim to bounce back after their respective first-round losses at the Montreal tournament. Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will also be missing in Ohio: the former due to a knee issue, the latter because he has not yet fully recovered from his wrist injury.

Zverev didn’t mince words when discussing their absences: “Yes, I think it changes things a bit, especially now that Jannik isn’t here. He’s basically won every Masters he’s played in this year. But for me, it doesn’t change much. I still want to compete against the best, and I hope to play my best tennis—better than I did in Canada. And we’ll see how far I can go in the tournament.”

American Fritz shares this view: the absences of Sinner and Alcaraz only affect things to a certain extent. “Maybe I’ll think about it when we get to the later stages of the tournament. It’s not something I think about before reaching those stages—let’s say the quarterfinals. It’s at that point, as a top seed, that you really start to notice the difference caused by their absence. Until then, it’s practically a different tournament. Obviously, you have an extra opportunity, but it’s an opportunity that only arises at the end of an event.”

“The other top players—those immediately behind them in the rankings—feel more pressure when they have to win the title in these situations, because they sense they have a great chance. But, as I said, personally I don’t notice any difference until I reach the quarterfinals or semifinals—in other words, until the moment comes to face one of them. Only then would I find myself facing opponents whom, had they been in the tournament, I wouldn’t have had to face.”