Jannik Sinner was very hot, in every sense of the word. This Saturday, the world number 2 faced the American Eliot Spizzirri in the 3rd round of the Australian Open. And what should have been a formality turned into a real ordeal.
Harassed by the heat of Melbourne, the Italian had to deal with violent cramps which practically immobilized him. “I had cramps first in my legs, then in my arm, then everywhere,” Sinner admitted after the match.
Violent cramps
First trailing 1-0 before coming back to score, the double title holder had just been broken in the third set when the heat index of the Australian Open reached its maximum level: 5. Result: in accordance with the regulations, the match was interrupted, like other matches at the same time, the time to close the roof of the Rod Laver Arena.
After this salutary break, Jannik Sinner immediately broke his opponent, before finally winning in pain (4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4). “Tennis is a mental game. Even without being able to be at my best, I played as well as possible,” commented the world number 2.
A healthy break
Qualified for the round of 16, Sinner will face one of his compatriots in the next round, Luciano Darderi.
If he wants to win his 5th Grand Slam title and get closer to Carlos Alcaraz, he will still have to better manage these heat strokes, he who had already experienced a similar mishap last year against Holger Rune. “If I want to go far here like the rest of the season, I have to play well when it’s hot,” he insisted.
Related reading
