The Cincinnati tournament final turned into a major disappointment: Carlos Alcaraz was crowned champion on Monday night, but only after Jannik Sinner was forced to retire just 23 minutes into the match due to exhaustion from the extreme heat.

The world’s number one, trailing 5-0 in the first set, tearfully apologized to the crowd and umpire, embraced Alcaraz, and raised his hands to the fans before leaving the court.

It was the first time in his career that the Italian had to retire from a match.

The tournament as a whole was overshadowed by extreme weather conditions, with temperatures reaching 36 degrees Celsius and heavy humidity.

Daniil Medvedev was seen dunking his head into a cooler between games, Felix Auger-Aliassime compared the court to an “oven,” and Arthur Rinderknech even collapsed during his match against the Canadian.

Elena Rybakina and Alcaraz himself repeatedly used ice towels to endure the conditions.

Sinner, appearing on the verge of tears on the bench, told the fans: “Usually, when I speak after matches, I start with my opponent, but today I must begin with you. I am really sorry to have disappointed you. I did not feel well. I thought my condition would improve overnight, but it worsened. I tried to come out and play at least a little, but I could not continue. I am very, very sorry.”

Following Sinner’s retirement, a wave of criticism erupted against the organizers.

Spanish player Alejandro Davidovich Fokina noted on his X account that the final was scheduled at 3:00 p.m., during peak heat.

“To set the final at such an hour in Cincinnati in August after so many retirements and after so many players barely finished their matches during the tournament—something has to change.”

The backlash grew louder on social media.

“This is madness,” one fan wrote.

“Players suffered from the heat all week, some needed heart rate checks, others withdrew—and still they scheduled the final at 3:00 p.m., at the peak of the heat.” Another added: “How can you charge thousands of dollars for a final that lasted less than half an hour?” Other fans claimed that financial motives outweighed concern for the athletes’ health.

“Is the 200 million dollars worth it?” read another angry response.

Alcaraz, who lifted his eighth Masters 1000 title, consoled Sinner at the end but admitted himself that he “suffered greatly from the extreme heat.” Conversely, the Italian’s withdrawal raises doubts about his defense of the U.S. Open title, set to begin in less than two weeks.