Jannik Sinner Shivering and ‘looks like a zombie’ and requires 11-MINUTE medical intervention during health scare at the Australia
Holger Rune revealed he was left “cooking in the heat” by Jannik Sinner after an 11-minute medical break swung their fourth-round match at the Australian Open in the world No.1’s favor.
Sinner, who lost the first set, began to struggle with the intense 33°C heat and left the court after dropping the second set to seek medical attention, leaving Rune waiting on court. Footage of Sinner’s medical treatment has since gone viral, showing the Italian shaking from the heat. Former world No.1 Jim Courier, commentating on the match, described him as looking like a “zombie.”
When play resumed, Sinner took control, winning 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. Reflecting on the incident, Rune said, “Obviously, it’s perfectly fine that you check with the doctors. It was very warm and humid today, so I was feeling it too. It’s fair that he got checked, but it took longer than I expected—around 10 minutes, maybe more. That was tough in the middle of the set.”
Rune expressed some frustration with the timing of the medical break, noting, “I had good momentum at that moment, so it wasn’t the worst timing from his side.” While he didn’t accuse Sinner of taking advantage of the break, Rune acknowledged the impact it had on the flow of the match.
One of the challenges with medical timeouts is that the waiting player can be left in a difficult situation—especially in the heat. “Sitting in the heat, cooking out there, is tough,” Rune admitted. “It is what it is, I just have to move on and maybe be smarter next time by waiting off court.”
Sinner, for his part, explained that he had been feeling unwell before the match and that the heat made things worse. At times, he was visibly shaking and looked unsteady in the second set. “I was not feeling well,” the 23-year-old said. “It was tough, playing against a difficult opponent but also against myself a little bit.”
Sinner said he felt better after his medical break, where he received medication that helped him stabilize. “I felt like my face looked a little better, the color came back. The doctor gave me some medication, so that helped for sure,” he said.
The Italian was also fortunate to have an additional unscheduled break when a screw holding the net in place came loose, causing a 20-minute delay. “At that point, getting 20 minutes off court, putting cold water on my head, it was very helpful. It was big luck for me today,” he admitted.
Despite the challenges, Sinner extended his impressive record, winning 93.6% of his matches since becoming world No.1 and breaking Bjorn Borg’s record for the best win percentage while holding the top spot. Though he struggled in this match, Sinner remains the clear favorite to win the Australian Open.
