MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — He knew extreme heat rules would come into play whether or not he broke Jannik Sinner’s serve in the third game of Saturday’s third set.
Eliot Spizzirri continued to lead regardless, breaking the two-time defending champion’s serve and heading into the eight-minute break with confidence and momentum as the roof of the Australian Open’s main stadium closed.
After the interruption, the momentum completely reversed. Sinner was shaken by cramps and was completely distracted before halftime, but regained his composure when the roof closed and again during a 10-minute “cooling off” break before the fourth set.
Sinner won 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 and advanced to the round of 16, later admitting he may have been lucky with the timing of the preliminary rules. The timing of the roof closure prompted a backlash on social media.
But Spizzieri took a very matter-of-fact approach to his failure.
“Yeah, I don’t know if he was saved by that,” the 24-year-old American said. “When the heat rule came into effect, I laughed a little bit, just because it was kind of funny timing when I was up 3-1. But at the same time, you know, 2-1 in the third set was when the heat (scale) went to 5.0.
“So every time the match ends, whether I break or he holds, we close the roof. The funny thing is, just when I break and he’s wobbly, it just happens.”
“That’s the rules of the game,” he said. “And, you know, you have to live with it.”
Sinner recovered from a similar situation against Holger Ruane at the previous Australian Open and Spitzri said it was clear the world number two had found a way to combat cramps.
Spizzri, who played college tennis at Texas, said conditions he experienced in other places such as Austin and Florida were worse than the dry, hot weather in Melbourne on Saturday.
On the men’s tour, he said he played in China last year where court temperatures reached 123 degrees Fahrenheit (51 degrees Celsius).
“I think it’s a far cry from what it was today,” said Spitzri, who made his main-race debut at Melbourne Park this year. “So, yeah, I feel fresh, to be honest, and feel like I can go a lot longer.”
When the heat reaches level 5, the temperature will be about 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit). Saturday’s high didn’t quite hit the forecast 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
While Spizzri said he has adapted to playing in extremely hot weather, he acknowledged the tournament must abide by player protection rules.
“I’ve played in worse conditions. I’ve practiced in worse conditions. In college, we played in brutal conditions in Austin at times,” he said. “Maybe that’s a good thing for me.
“But at the same time, this rule is also a protection for us. I think it will hopefully promote players to stay healthy for a longer period of time throughout the season because playing these games for so long day after day in this hot weather is really tough on the body.”
