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5 days ago
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The grim expression across Jannik Sinner’s face as he limped gingerly to the bathroom said enough. As play was briefly suspended in the overbearing Australian heat, the two-time defending champion was suffering from full-body cramps and at serious risk of also enduring one of the great Australian Open upsets in recent memory.
Sinner, the second seed, survived thanks to the combined force of his supreme mental toughness and a significant amount of luck, holding off a spirited challenge from Eliot Spizzirri to reach the fourth round at Melbourne Park with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 win.
The straightforward scores in the final three sets belie the drama that unfolded on Rod Laver Arena. On the hottest day of the tournament so far, Sinner struggled badly in 36C heat against Spizzirri, a 24-year-old American ranked No 85 and in the main draw of a grand slam tournament for just the third time in his career.
Early in set three, Sinner began to cramp and he fell down a break as he struggled to walk. At the exact moment Sinner looked in serious trouble, however, the Australian Open’s extreme heat rules came into effect, forcing the closure of the roof and an opportunity for Sinner to recover and advance.
It took an immense mental effort for Sinner to turn the match around, but without the perfectly timed stoppage, his title defence could have easily come to an end on Saturday afternoon. “I struggled physically a bit today,” said Sinner. “I got lucky with the heat rule, they closed the roof. I took my time, as the time passed, I felt better. I’m very happy with this performance.”
Sinner initially appeared to be cruising through the early stages of the match, establishing a 4-2 lead. But the Italian quickly unravelled in suffocating conditions while Spizzirri looked comfortable. By the end of the set, Sinner was clearly struggling between points and Spizzirri was rewarded for his composed, consistent offensive play with a 6-4 lead.
After falling down an early break in set two, Sinner recovered well enough to level the match at one set all, but he never looked comfortable. His body was in full revolt at the beginning of set three as he cramped in both legs and arms. Unable to properly run, Sinner called the trainer while trailing 1-2 in the third set.
The Australian Open’s heat rules are dictated by the tournament’s Heat Stress Scale, a chart that rates the playing conditions between 1 and 5, with 1 meaning “temperate playing conditions” and 5 immediately leading to the suspension of play. The heat stress reading, which had been rising steadily all afternoon, hit 5 exactly as Spizzirri broke a hobbled Sinner’s serve to lead 3-1.
Play was immediately suspended and the roof was closed. Sinner used the break to use the bathroom, hobbling off the court to the bathroom with a significant limp. Sinner’s movement was still diminished upon his return, but he immediately got to work in cool conditions under the roof, retrieving the break with relentless first strike tennis.
Sinner opted not to sit down during most changeovers for the rest of the match to ensure that the cramps did not return, but the cooler conditions under the roof allowed the Italian to gradually improve physically. As Sinner’s movement gradually began to improve and he slowly resembled himself again, Sinner took control of the match and held on to secure his position in the round of 16.
Despite his dominant results in recent years, extreme heat remains Sinner’s greatest weakness. The 24-year-old’s only defeat on hard court since September 2024 to any player other than Carlos Alcaraz was a retirement loss to Tallon Griekspoor in extreme heat and humidity at the Shanghai Open last October.
He also faced a similar scenario in Melbourne last year, struggling badly with illness in tough conditions against Holger Rune in their fourth round match before similarly dragging himself through. These struggles have often only strengthened Sinner and propelled him to even more success. He will be even more dangerous and determined in the battles ahead.
