After the weather took him down in Shanghai, it was back to business in Vienna for Jannik Sinner. The world No. 2 kicked off his Vienna campaign in dominant fashion, taking down Daniel Altmaier 6–0, 6–2 in just 58 minutes — marking his quickest win of 2025, as noted by the ATP. He kept up his imperious form in the next rounds, not dropping a single set all the way till the final, where that streak was finally broken with Zverev taking the first set.

In the quarterfinals, he kept his cool to get past Alexander Bublik yet again, and then he managed to beat Alex de Minaur in straight sets (6–3, 6–4) in the semis, extending his head-to-head against the Australian to 12-0. With that win, he made it to his eighth final of the season, a feat last accomplished by only Novak Djokovic in the 2015-16 season. Amid such a dominant run, whispers began to circulate in the final about a recurring physical issue: cramping.

According to @Olly_Tennis_ on X, Jannik Sinner looked like he was struggling with cramps, even in a climate controlled indoor arena. Two hours in, the score was at 3–6, 6–3, and 3–3 in the deciding set. Zverev was up 15-30 on his serve, when Sinner began to exhibit signs of struggle, bending over with his hands on his thighs, and sparking worry amongst his fans.

The physical toll of the long season can manifest in unexpected ways, as Sinner experienced just weeks earlier at the Shanghai Masters. During his third-round match against Tallon Griekspoor, the Italian superstar was forced to retire from the contest. He needed to be helped off the court after experiencing an intense leg cramp in brutally humid conditions; a scene that was all too common during that tournament.

In a candid reflection on that incident, Sinner provided a surprising reason for his physical distress, stating, “The cramps in Shanghai? I think they were due to a mental factor. I talked with my team — from that point of view I wasn’t perfect, but now everything’s fine. The mistake was mine: the heat and humidity got me down. You learn from these things — cramps can happen, and I was one of many to suffer from them.”

This admission highlighted the complex interplay between mental fortitude and physical limits, with Sinner noting that he was just one of many players who suffered from the extreme conditions during the Asian swing of the tour. However, cramps weren’t the only problem that Sinner faced in Vienna.

Jannik Sinner had some problems with the chair umpire

In his semifinal match against Alex de Minaur, Jannik Sinner got into a bit of a back-and-forth with chair umpire Fergus Murphy after he was given a time-violation warning. The Italian apparently paused his serve because the crowd was quite loud, waiting for things to settle down before he carried on. Murphy still gave him the violation, which definitely created a pretty tense moment during the match.

Sinner spoke with the umpire, and you could tell he was feeling pretty frustrated. He figured the chaos of the crowd warranted some understanding, and he felt he shouldn’t face any penalties since he was really trying to manage the delay.

It wasn’t a total breakdown, but it really showed how even the most composed of players can get peeved by the umpire’s calls. So, even with all the challenges, Sinner managed to take down De Minaur in the semifinals and went on to win the final against Zverev with a score of 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.