Jannik Sinner has withdrawn from his next tournament after winning the Australian Open, citing the need to rest and recover from a gruelling campaign in Melbourne.

The young Italian breezed past Alexander Zverev in Sunday’s final to clinch the honours for the second year in a row, downing his German rival in straight sets.

He was due to return to the court at the Rotterdam Open, having won the 2024 edition of the tournament. However, it has been confirmed that he will not be taking part after withdrawing from the event.

In a statement, Sinner said: “After consulting with my team we had to take the difficult decision to withdraw from the ABN AMRO Open. My body needs time to rest after the long run in Australia.

“I have great memories from winning the title in front of amazing crowds at Rotterdam Ahoy last year and hope to be back there soon.”

Tournament director Richard Krajicek said it was a ‘great shame’ that Sinner will not be competing at the event, which is due to begin this weekend.

“The Australian Open has been long and tough for Jannik,” said Krajicek. “It is a great shame for both him and us that his efforts are preventing him from participating in Rotterdam.”

Grigor Dimitrov has also pulled out of the tournament, with Jakub Mensik and Roberto Bautista Agut being drafted in to fill the vacant spaces in the line-up.

Sinner’s withdrawal means Carlos Alcaraz will be the new top seed at the Rotterdam Open. He will be joined by the likes of Daniil Medvedev, Alex de Minaur and Andrey Rublev with former champions Felix Auger-Aliassime and Stan Wawrinka also competing.

Krajicek emphasised the importance of keeping the field as strong as possible in order to ensure that quality is not lost when top players decide to pull out.

He said: “An important reason to set up a broad line-up with many top players is the fact that you can be confronted with a withdrawal. We are convinced that we will experience a great week of tennis with the players that will be present.”