Australian Open: Net broken, body weak: Jannik Sinner’s strange victory

Defending champion Jannik Sinner won a strange round of 16 at the Australian Open with physical complaints and an unusual net problem. The world number one from Italy beat number 13 seed Dane Holger Rune 6:3, 3:6, 6:3, 6:2, although he was clearly not in good health and also suffered from a very rare incident was stopped.

When the score was 0-1 in the fourth set, Sinner served and hit the net camera. The force was so great that the screw connecting the net to the ground broke. The problem couldn’t be solved quickly and both players had to go to the dressing room for around 20 minutes.

Sinner is shaking – athletically and physically

There had already been longer breaks due to physical problems for both athletes. Sinner dragged himself around the court between rallies, especially in the third set, and kept grimacing in pain. During breaks, he held his towel with shaky hands.

The two-time Grand Slam tournament winner reported that he felt “very strange” in the morning, thanking the audience for their support: “It was 90 percent your performance, and ten percent I tried to make you happy .”

With the score at 3-2, he took a medical timeout after his blood pressure was measured on the court. The Italian felt visibly better afterwards. After losing the serve to make it 3:5, opponent Rune took a medical time out and had his right leg treated.

Sinner follows title rivals

Sinner came back stronger from every break and finally deservedly made it to the quarter-finals. The winner of the round of 16 between Alex Michelsen from the USA and the Australian Alex de Minaur is waiting there.

Before Sinner, the German tennis star Alexander Zverev, the Serbian record Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic and the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz had already reached the round of the top eight. There will be a giant duel between Djokovic and Alcaraz on Tuesday.