Jannik Sinner is set to play his fourth-round match against compatriot Luciano Darderi at the Australian Open on Monday, January 26. Sinner had to fight his way past cramps, heat, and a difficult opponent, American Eliot Spizzirri, in the third round to keep his title defense alive.
While Sinner won the match in four sets, controversy broke out over the tournament’s heat rule, which coincidentally came into effect just as the Italian started to cramp and took a medical timeout. The timeout period was extended as soon as the heat policy was enforced. The roof at Rod Laver Arena was closed, and the AC was turned on.
The extended 20-minute delay in the resumption of the game gave Sinner much-needed time to recover. He dug his heels into the match from the third set and closed out the contest in the fourth. While many called it a farcical win, handed to him by the organizers, former World No. 1 Andy Roddick feels differently.
In the latest episode of his Served podcast, Roddick admitted that the defending champion looked fatigued and stretched out on court. However, he added that the heat rules policy enforcement had no underlying reason to aid the Italian and that there should be no controversies regarding the same since it’s the rule.
“No, I just like, it’s just, let’s two things can be true, right? Me coming on and saying, I think he was physically cooked and done. Doesn’t mean that he’s not gritty. I have celebrated center for two years on being able to compartmentalize the suspension on being able to come back at Wimbledon,” Roddick said.
“And, you know, and also him having that match and having that hiccup, and it changing nobody’s real opinion about what he’s going to do. The rest of the tournament is a testament to how he’s handled things before, because he’s shown us his ability to rebound. Does that mean he wasn’t cooked? No,” he added.
“Does that mean he wasn’t extremely lucky with when the wet bull f*cking rule came in, and it hit right when he needed it to, it was extremely fortunate. Does that mean it’s a conspiracy? No, it’s the rule. It’s literally like an algorithm that hits, and then it engages. He just got lucky. I mean, it’s okay,” Roddick concluded.
Andy Roddick Backs Jannik Sinner to Breeze Past Darderi in the Round of 16
After shunning down the controversies around Sinner’s third-round match, Roddick was asked by a fellow host whether the cramping incident would change his opinion on Sinner heading into the round-of-16 match against Darderi.
“Does Sinner’s performance or survival against Spizzirri change my opinion about this match with Darderi at all? Zero. And that’s because it’s a testament to what we know he does when he’s given a chance, like don’t give him a second chance. And that’s any all-time great at pretty much any sport. You give them a second chance, they’re going to take advantage. That’s not a criticism,” Roddick said.
Sinner will play Darderi at the Margaret Court Arena in the evening session of Day 9, which marks the beginning of the second week of the Australian Open.
Also read:
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