the hands were shaking and the difficulty in breathing

Melbourne, 20 January 2025 – Le shaking hands so much so that I couldn’t hold the towel close to the face, the difficulty breathing: There were many obstacles for Jannik Sinner to overcome in the match he won against Holger Rune. A success that projects the blue number 1 in world tennis to quarterfinals of the Australian Open, but which caused many Italian fans to worry. Because in addition to the quality of the Dane, the South Tyrolean had to deal with some physical hitch too much. On the other hand, the conditions in which the match took place were certainly not the easiest, between the scorching heat e a suffocating bee.

What happened to Sinner

Sinner’s ‘ordeal’ begins in second set lost 6-3. Jannik starts to move badly on the pitch, It’s slow and gives the impression of being foggy. At a certain point it seems to have stomach problems. At the end of the second half he decides to take a toilet break and heads towards the changing rooms. He walks with difficulty. He returns after a few minutes, the match resumes but his condition continues to leave one at ease. Framed at the changes of field, the images are impressive: hands are shaking, breathing is labored.

Sinner, however, resists and confronts his team several times: the physiotherapist Ulises Badio also gives him some bottles with supplements. After the fifth game of the third set, number 1 calls the medical time out with the intervention of the physiotherapist. It feels like reliving the same scene as Wimbledon 2024 quarter-final lost to Daniil Medvedev. The match stops for about ten minutes. Sinner then grits his teeth and manages to take home the third set with a score of 6-3. At that point too Rune is starting to experience some problemsparticularly in the right knee. The worst seems to be over for Jannik: the blue player returns to play with newfound energy and in the fourth set he closes the match.

How is Jannik?

In the press conference, Sinner himself sheds some light, also saying what he says “fortunato” to have involuntarily broke the net at the beginning of the fourth set. “I was lucky – his words -, twenty minutes off the pitch (the time needed to repair the network, ed.), to try to recover physically and putting some cold water on your head, were very helpful.” When asked about the precise nature of his ailments, the world number 1 did not go into detail: “We have seen that I didn’t feel well – explains Sinner –. I had a little bit of dizziness. In terms of injuries, I have nothing, just some health problems. Before the match I changed my routine. I came last because I expected a tough match and I didn’t warm up. I learned a lot from difficult situations, like the one I experienced at Wimbledon against Medvedev. I thought it had already happened to me so I managed to manage the discomfort as best as possible. It was hot. I knew it would be very, very difficult. I fought against a tough opponent, but also against myself.”