Former World No. 1 disapproved of Carlos Alcaraz consoling Jannik Sinner

The blossoming rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner continued this week at the Cincinnati Open, as the world's two best players locked horns in an ATP final for a fifth consecutive time. 

Unfortunately, Sinner retired five games into the first set with a mysterious illness and fought back tears as he apologized to the fans for not providing the level of competition they were hoping for. As a teary-eyed Sinner sat on his bench, Alcaraz walked over to his rival, put his arms around him and consoled him.

The Spaniard's actions were likely instinctive, but they should have been avoided, reckons former World No. 1 Andy Roddick. Speaking on his "Served" podcast, Roddick felt Alcaraz's coaching staff shouldn't have allowed him to get as close to an ailing Sinner just days before the U.S. Open. 

"If I'm his coach, I'm telling him, 'Get away. Get away from him,'" Roddick said of Alcaraz. "'Don't stand next to him, don't go see if he's okay. Skip the pictures — do not get close to him. You have the U.S. Open coming up, you've been on a heater, and you've made the finals of your last seven events.'"

While there's no official confirmation on Sinner's illness, there's been speculation that the World No. 1 contracted a virus during his week-long stay in Cincinnati. Shortly before he forfeited his match, Sinner complained of breathlessness and told the umpire that he could "collapse" at any minute, even though he later expressed optimism about recovering in time to defend his U.S. Open crown.

Roddick felt Alcaraz must be commended for being a good sport, but "the only error" he made all week was his proximity to Sinner. 

"We hope Sinner is healthy," Roddick added, while suspecting that the Italian could have a "four or five-day bug" that could affect his performance in New York.

Alcaraz followed up his classy on-court gesture by wishing Sinner a quick recovery, while admitting that he hated winning by a walkover.