- Jannik Sinner required 11-minute medical in Australian Open victory
- The world number one was visibly battling the heat against Holger Rune.
- Sinner's opponent claims the Italian left him 'cooking in the heat'
Holger Rune says Jannik Sinner left him “baking in the heat” after an 11-minute break for medical treatment swung the fourth-round match in the world number one's favour.
After losing the first set, Sinner began to look increasingly uncomfortable in the 33°C heat and walked off the court to seek medical attention after losing the second set, leaving Rune pacing the court.
Once play resumed, the Italian prevailed, winning 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. Rune said: 'Obviously, it's perfectly fine for you to consult (with doctors). Today was a very warm, very humid day, so I was feeling it too.
'It's only fair that they examined it. It took longer than I expected. It was about 10 minutes, maybe even more. So it was a little brutal in the middle of the set.
“They checked him on the pitch and the referee said he needed more checks to make sure he was okay. Then he came back shooting, so I don't know what they did.
The timing of medical timeouts is a thorny issue in tennis. There are accusations that some players abuse the rules to break the rhythm of their opponents and, although Rune fell suggesting that, he said: “I had good momentum at the moment, so it wasn't the worst moment for his side.”
Holger Rune (pictured) says he was left “baking in the heat” during a medical timeout in his loss against Jannik Sinner.
After losing the first set, Sinner began to look increasingly uncomfortable in the 33°C heat.
Sinner then received medical attention during an on-court check that ended up lasting 11 minutes.
One problem with players leaving the court for treatment is that their opponents may be left dry or, in this case, sticky.
“For me, sitting in the heat cooking there is a little difficult,” Rune said. “It is what it is, I just have to move on and maybe next time be smarter and wait off the court or whatever.”
Footage of Sinner's medical check-up has since gone viral, with the Italian seen shivering as he battled the heat and former world number one Jim Courier describing him as a “zombie” during match commentary.
Sinner said he had been feeling unwell before the game and the heat exacerbated things. He was visibly shaking at times and seemed very unstable in the second set.
“I wasn't feeling very good,” the 23-year-old said. 'I think we saw that he was struggling physically today. I knew that today was going to be very, very difficult, playing against a tough opponent but also playing against myself a little bit.
'At least I felt a little better when I got back on the court. I felt like the face looked a little better, the color had come back a little. The doctor gave me some medicines.
Once play resumed, Sinner prevailed and won the Australian Open 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Holte was unhappy after being left to 'cook' in the scorching Australian heat during Sinner's medical check-up.
“So that helped, for sure.”
Sinner had another attempt at resting when the screw holding the net in place came loose and had to be replaced. 20 minutes passed and the players were able to leave the field.
“At that moment, being off the court for 20 minutes, trying to recover physically and putting some cold water on my head was a big help,” he said. “Today was very lucky for me.”
Sinner has now won 93.6 percent of his matches since rising to world No. 1, breaking Bjorn Borg's record for best winning percentage while in the top spot. Despite this wobble, he remains the firm favorite to win the Australian Open.