Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner, the reigning Australian Open champion, admitted that luck played a role in his victory over Danish player Holger Rune in the fourth round of the first Grand Slam of the season on Monday.
Sinner found himself in deep trouble after losing the second set and taking an extended medical timeout at the start of the third set. Rune, too, struggled with the high temperatures and an unusual delay at the start of the fourth set. The match was halted for 20 minutes when Sinner accidentally broke the metal support anchoring the net to the ground with a powerful serve.
Sinner eventually clinched the win in four sets, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. Speaking in an on-court interview, he said, “The match was definitely very tough.”
The Italian star added, “I knew he had played some long matches as well, so I tried to stay mentally strong. I just focused on my serves and then looked at his reactions.”
In comments reported by British news agency PA Media, Sinner said, “This morning was very strange. I didn’t even practice today. I just tried to show up on the court in the best condition possible. I knew it would be a tough day. I played very well, hitting good shots that gave me the strength to keep fighting.”
During the post-match press conference, Sinner admitted, “I wasn’t feeling great, and I think that was obvious today. I spoke to the doctor before heading to the court. At times, I felt dizzy, but I don’t want to go into too much detail.”
Sinner also reflected on the incident with the metal support, saying it was a stroke of luck for him. “At that point, I had 20 minutes away from the court, during which I tried to regain my physical strength and cool my head with some cold water. It helped a lot, and I was very fortunate today,” he explained.