Jannik Sinner reveals what he did after leaving court before miraculous comeback
NewsSaturday, 24 January 2026 at 18:32
Jannik Sinner seemed to be on his way out of the 2026 Australian Open before recovering from full-body cramps.
Sinner took on Eliot Spizzirri in the third round of this year's Australian Open. On paper, it looked like a must-win match for the two-time champion, who was a huge favorite against the ATP world No. 85 player.
However, things looked different after the first set of the match, which the American player won 6-4. He then started the second set with a break, and even Sinner's most loyal fans started to worry. But the Italian player quickly recovered, winning the second set of the match 6-3. Little did he know, though, that an even bigger challenge was about to come.
Sinner started cramping at the start of the third set. Initially, he had cramps only in his legs, but they ultimately spread also into his arms, something that obviously hinders a tennis player. Down 1-2 and serving, it seemed that the second seed might even give up the fight.
He could barely walk and served like a coach who tries to feed balls to someone picking up a racket for the first time would. The Italian just couldn't play tennis properly. Unsurprisingly, he lost his serve and fell 1-3 behind.
Behind all this was one simple reason. It was incredibly hot in Melbourne, Australia, which caused Sinner to cramp. Luckily for him, the same factor that almost cost him the match also ended up saving him.
The Australian Open uses a heat index scale, and once it reaches 5, the matches around the Melbourne Park have to be stopped. That's exactly what happened when Sinner fell 1-3 behind.
As a result, the roof at the Rod Laver Arena had to be closed, which gave Sinner a few minutes to recover. The air conditioning was also turned on inside the arena, making the conditions much more bearable.
Miraculously, Sinner won the second set 6-4, after which he and his opponent were granted a 10-minute break because of the heat index. The two-time champion then won the match in four sets, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
Many of the fans thought that Sinner did something special during the break, which helped him to win the match. However, according to his own words, he only stretched, as there was nothing else he could do during the break.
"Yeah, I mean, it was hot today. Started to cramp a little bit in the third set, which then after by time it went slowly away. I know my body slightly better now with a bit of experience also, you know, trying to handle certain situations a bit better. Yeah, got lucky today."
"Yeah, nothing. I was alone. There was no treatment. You cannot have treatment in that time. So I was stretching. I laid down for five minutes, trying to loosen up the muscles. It worked really well. Trying to get the body temperature a bit more down. That’s it. There are not many things you can do. Time passed quite fast, but it helped me, for sure."
Sinner said he was lucky that the suspension of play helped him. He said something similar also after he struggled against Holger Rune last year. That's why this time, the Italian player was asked whether he thinks he might run out of luck.
"This I don’t know. I believe that I’m someone who tries to put tennis in the highest priority. And I know that I’m doing that for years now. In the back of my mind I know how much I work. I feel well prepared even if some problems could happen potentially on the court. Of course there are going to be days when you don’t find a way. It’s not that everything is going your way."
"But with a positive mindset, for sure, more positive things can happen. If you’re on the court thinking in a negative way, most likely more negative things can come towards you. I try to stay calm even in a moment like this. If he keeps playing the way he was playing and maybe I was dropping a little bit, maybe my tournament was over today. I don’t know. Honestly I think that’s it."
Sinner will need to play his best tennis in the remainder of the tournament, because only seeded players are now left in the draw. Up next, he will take on compatriot Luciano Darderi in the fourth round of the event.
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