Jannik Sinner suffered a scare at the hands of Eliot Spizzirri as the Italian struggled with the intense heat at the Australian Open.
The Italian was on the verge of going two sets to one down, before heat rules indicated the roof should be put on Rod Laver Arena.
Sinner struggled with the extreme heat before that and at one point looked like he might retire from the match.
Taylor Fritz, who was watching on from the locker room, has explained what the atmosphere was like during Sinner’s match.
Taylor Fritz shares how the ATP Tour responded to Jannik Sinner vs Eliot Spizzirri
Fritz was in the locker room preparing for his match against Stan Wawrinka as Sinner was struggling against Spizzirri.
Asked if Sinner’s condition at the Australian Open sent tremors throughout the locker room, Fritz replied: “Yeah, for sure. When it’s happening, like, people are obviously gathered around the TV watching, because they want to see what happens.”
Sinner hasn’t lost at the Australian Open since 2023, when he was defeated by eventual winner Stefanos Tsitsipas in the fourth round.
“But I think that happens any time, like, an upset is brewing or someone is in trouble or it’s like a big tiebreak or something. Everyone kind of gathers around and wants to see what’s going on.”
Fritz was speaking after his victory against Wawrinka, which marked the Swiss star’s last-ever appearance at the Australian Open.
Taylor Fritz should have a vested interest in how Jannik Sinner performs at the Australian Open
It’s no surprise that Fritz had one eye on Sinner’s scare against Spizzirri, as he could play the world number two in the semi-finals of the Australian Open.
Fritz has a wretched record against Sinner, having lost his last four matches against the four-time Grand Slam champion.
Sinner defeated Fritz in his only Grand Slam final at the US Open in 2024 and followed it up by defeating the American at the same stage of the ATP Finals the same year.
Fritz’s only victory against the Italian came all the way back in 2021, when he knocked a 20-year-old Sinner out of Indian Wells.
Should Fritz reach the semi-finals of the Australian Open this year, it’s unlikely he would be too disappointed if he didn’t have to play Sinner.
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