Male players rarely retire en masse! Zverev's participation in the Hamburg race was ridiculed by foreign fans

After Tsitsipas and Korda unexpectedly withdrew from the Hamburg Open, Sinner and a number of other players also opted to skip the event. Last week's four finalists at the Italian Open – Sinner, Musetti, Paulo and Alcaraz – will not travel to Germany, with Rune and Mejdovic also retiring.

The retirement of these players provides Zverev with a wild card to become the top seed at home, with American youngster Tiafoe, ranked 16th in the world, becoming the second seed, and world No. 17 Rublev as the third seed. Currently, all players ranked 3 to 15 in the world will be absent from the ATP 500 event.

Also still in the top 15 in the world rankings are Fritz and Novak Djokovic, who will compete at the ATP 250 Geneva Open in the same week. Fritz is the top seed and Djokovic is the second seed.

Sinner and Alcaraz's choice not to play at the Hamburg Open is not surprising. The duo played at a very high level at the Italian Open this week, and they clearly think they are fit enough for their second Grand Slam tournament – the French Open.

Sinner has been suspended for 90 days this year due to drug testing issues, but his performance at Roma shows he is fully fit. He beat in-form Ruud 6-0 6-1 in the quarter-finals in what was seen as one of the best performances of his career. Ruud even described Sinner's performance this way: "Honestly, even though I lost so badly, it was actually a bit of fun. You look at this person and all you can say is, 'Wow, that's really not a level. I don't know how else to describe it. Of course, I would also like to see the game a little closer. ”

Alcaraz also believes he is in good form on clay, so it makes sense to take a break. He had previously won the Monte Carlo Masters and reached the final in Barcelona, and was in fine form at the Italian Open, beating world No. 1 Sinner in the final to win the title.

Zverev unexpectedly entered the Hamburg Open as a wild card, and fans reacted to it with mixed reactions. Although fans have already complained about the schedule of the Hamburg Open, they have reacted more bluntly to Zverev's sudden move. One netizen recalled Zverev's past remarks and joked: "Zverev said not long ago that it was a stupid thing to play a week before ...... Grand Slam. ”

Another fan said: "The retirement of the top players is expected, but it's really weird to see Tiafoe as the second seed in the ATP 500 on clay haha (Zverev would have been the first seed if it wasn't for the last minute). ”

Another fan unceremoniously commented: "Playing in the ATP 500 before a Grand Slam is one of the stupidest things Zverev can do." But he wasn't known for being 'smart' in the first place. Some netizens ridiculed his luck this season: "If Zverev wins the championship here, then he really has the funniest season." 80% of the time I played poorly, but I was able to score points by relying on two 'water' 500 tournament draws and a good draw at the Australian Open. ”

This year will be Zverev's eighth appearance at the Hamburg Open. He has reached the final twice – in 2023 and as runner-up in 2024. He came close to defending his title last year, but was beaten 3-6 6-3 6(1)-7 by rising French star Fez in the final.(Source: Tennis Home Author: Spark)