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American former ATP star Steve Johnson recently touched on Jannik Sinner's cramping issues that were evident at the 2025 Shanghai Masters and more recently at the Vienna Open. According to Johnson, the issues are "weird" considering the fact that the Italian has previously played marathon five-setters at the Majors without experiencing similar problems.
At the Shanghai Masters, severe cramps led to Sinner retiring mid-match in the third round as he trailed Tallon Griekspoor. The former No. 1 could barely walk when he chose to retire and needed assistance to get off the court. However, the Italian wasn't the only player to suffer in Shanghai, as the brutally hot and humid conditions affected several others over the course of the event as well.
In Vienna though, conditions were far more favorable for players. Despite this, Jannik Sinner appeared to struggle at times in the final against Alexander Zverev, even though the Italian ultimately emerged triumphant in three sets. Reflecting on the World No. 2's recent cramping woes, Steve Johnson said on the Nothing Major podcast:
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"I don't know. Why's he cramping? In Shanghai, I mean, that one's more understandable because of the weather and the humidity and stuff, but is this a troubling sign that he's cramped now two tournaments in a row? I guess not for him, I guess he played the Six Kings Slam (the exhibition tournament in Saudi Arabia that Sinner won between his Shanghai and Vienna campaigns) and it didn't look like he cramped there, but like, that's weird." (from 9:47)
"We watched Jannik Sinner play the French Open final" - Steve Johnson on Italian avoiding cramps in five-plus-hour epic
Steve Johnson, who reached a career-high ranking of No. 21 in his prime during his playing days, went on to recall Jannik Sinner's performance in the 2025 French Open final. The match turned out to be a five-set marathon that lasted five hours and 29 minutes, and is widely regarded as one of the best tennis matches ever played.
Even though Sinner ultimately came up short against Carlos Alcaraz, Johnson remembered how the Italian mostly steered clear of cramps on the day. According to the American, what little cramps Sinner did experience in the decisive fifth set boiled down more to the palpable tension given the circumstances than deeper, underlying physical concerns.
"Like, the guy's played six hours. We've watched him play the French Open final. He cramped a little bit in the fifth set, but like, that's a lot of pressure, anxiety and a lot of tennis to be played," Johnson continued.
However, the 35-year-old opined that even when he's cramping, Jannik Sinner still seems to be a level above everyone else on tour.
"But even when he's cramping he's the best tennis player in the world," the American added.
Jannik Sinner's next competitive outing is set to come at the ongoing Paris Masters, where the Italian is the No. 2 seed and is slated to get his campaign underway with a second-round clash against Zizou Bergs.
