Carlos Alcaraz recently had his say on the brutal conditions that led to the Rod Laver Arena’s roof being closed mid-match during rival Jannik Sinner’s third-round clash against Eliot Spizzirri at the 2026 Australian Open. The World No. 1 Spaniard also lauded the Italian for overcoming severe physical struggles to win the match and keep his hopes of achieving a Melbourne ‘threepeat’ alive.
On Saturday, January 24, Spizzirri stunned World No. 2 Sinner to take the first set. Even though the Italian won the second, he looked in deep trouble in the third, where he not only trailed the American, but also appeared to be experiencing debilitating cramps with the Melbourne mercury soaring. Subsequently, the Australian Open’s ‘heat rule’ was enforced, leading to play being suspended. Also, instructions were issued to close the roof of the Rod Laver Arena.
Speaking to Eurosport, Alcaraz spoke of his own experience of the Melbourne heat on the day. Saturday was a rest day for the Spaniard ahead of his fourth-round match and according to him, he could feel how hot the conditions were after practicing for around 45 minutes. The six-time Major champion, said:
“The truth is we already saw, or already knew, that we were going to have that very hot and intense day yesterday. I practiced for 35 or 40 minutes and I could already feel the heat.”
The 22-year-old also voiced support for Sinner amid a lot of media chatter claiming the Italian got lucky with the ‘heat rule’ enforcement and would have lost to Spizzirri had play not been suspended and had the Rod Laver Arena’s roof not been closed. Alcaraz added:
“When you are dealing with the heat or things external to the game itself, sometimes it becomes much more difficult. But once again, Jannik showed what a champion he is, what a great player, and how good he is at coming out of those situations so ‘unscathed,’ so to speak. But obviously, the physical problems are always there, and I’m sure he will do his best to recover.”
Carlos Alcaraz Expects Similar Conditions During Australian Open 2026 QF Clash Against Home Favorite
Alcaraz won his fourth-round outing against Paul, keeping up his straight-set win streak at this year’s Australian Open. The Spaniard is now set to face home favorite Alex de Minaur in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, January 27, with the Australian having blitzed past Alexander Bublik in the fourth round.
The World No. 1 expects the heat in Melbourne on the day of his quarterfinal outing to be similar to how it was during Sinner’s third-round match against Spizzirri. He told Eurosport:
“I couldn’t imagine playing a match in these conditions, which I think I’m going to have on Tuesday.”
Meanwhile, Sinner will continue his bid for a third straight Australian Open title with a fourth-round clash against compatriot Luciano Darderi on Monday, January 26.
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