Sinner, what happened and how he is. The illness against Rune: hands that shook and difficulty breathing

Melbourne, 20 January 2025 – The hands that were shaking so much so that you can't hold the towel near the face, the difficulty breathing: There were many obstacles to overcome for Jannik Sinner in the match won against Holger Rune. A success that projects the Italian number 1 in world tennis to the Australian Open quarterfinals, but which has worried many Italian fans. Because in addition to the quality of the Dane, the South Tyrolean has had to face some physical obstacle too much. On the other hand, the conditions in which the match took place were certainly not the easiest, between the scorching heat e a suffocating heat.

Jannik Sinner assisted by Australian Open medical staff during match against Rune

What happened to Sinner

Sinner's 'ordeal' begins in second set lost 6-3. Jannik begins to move badly on the court, It's slow and feels foggy. At one point it seems to have stomach problems. After the second set he decides to take a toilet break and heads towards the changing rooms. He walks with difficulty. He returns after a few minutes, the match resumes but his conditions continue to leave us feeling uneasy. Framed at the changes of field, the pictures are impressive: hands are shaking, breathing is labored.

Sinner resists, however, and meets with his team several times: the physiotherapist Ulises Badio also gives him some bottles with supplements. After the fifth game of the third set, number 1 calls the medical time out with the intervention of the physiotherapist. It seems to relive the same scene of the Wimbledon 2024 quarter-final lost against Daniil Medvedev. The match stops for about ten minutes. Sinner then grit his teeth and manages to take home the third set with the score of 6-3. At that point also Rune starts to have some problems, especially in his right knee. The worst seems to have passed for Jannik: the Italian returns to play with newfound energy and in the fourth set he closes the match.

Learn more:

Sonego, Australian Open dream continues: beats Tien and flies to quarter-finals

How is Jannik?

In the press conference, Sinner himself sheds some light on the matter, also saying that "lucky" to have unintentionally the network broke at the beginning of the fourth set. “I was lucky - he said –, twenty minutes off the field (the time needed to repair the network, ed.), to try to recover physically and put some cold water on the head, they were very helpful." Asked about the precise nature of his ailments, the world number 1 did not go into detail: "We saw that I was not feeling well – explains Sinner –. I had a bit of dizziness. In terms of injuries, I have nothing, just some health problems. Before the match I changed my routine. I came last because I expected a tough match and I didn't warm up.  I learned a lot from difficult situations, like the one I experienced at Wimbledon against Medvedev. I thought that it had already happened to me and so I managed to manage discomfort in the best way. It was hot. I knew it was going to be very, very difficult. I fought against a tough opponent, but also against myself.”