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Jannik Sinner of Italy celebrates after defeating his compatriot Luciano Darderi during their fourth round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
With the mercury touching 40 degrees at the Australian Open on Saturday, world No. 4 Jannik Sinner was visibly struggling through the middle stages of his third-round match, cramping and conserving energy as the Melbourne heat took its toll.
The soaring Melbourne heat was meant to test bodies and resolve at the Australian Open. On Saturday, it nearly broke him. Sinner appeared physically compromised through the middle phases of his match against American Eliot Spizzirri, battling cramps and shortening points. Yet, as coach Darren Cahill later revealed, there was a clear plan in place – survive long enough.
“It’s clear that Jannik was very lucky with the timing of the roof closure,” Cahill said on Monday. “Everyone on the team knew that, at some point, the match would be paused to deploy the retractable roof. Our goal was for him to hold on as best as he could until the end of the third set.”
That moment arrived just in time. With the third set delicately poised, the tournament’s extreme heat policy kicked in, forcing a suspension of play as the retractable roof was closed. The extended break allowed Sinner to recover physically and reset mentally – a turning point Cahill believes highlighted one of the Italian’s most underrated strengths.
“I’ve been working with him for a long time, and what he did the other day was one of the most impressive performances I’ve seen in terms of self-management,” Cahill said.
Darren Cahill on Jannik Sinner recovery and reasons on why he plays Margaret Court Arena. pic.twitter.com/CLegPF5v4x
— asud (@asud683385) January 26, 2026
Before the contest, Cahill had cautioned Sinner against underestimating Spizzirri, insisting the match be approached with the same seriousness as a top-10 clash. “We approached it as if we were facing a top-10 opponent,” Cahill said. “I’ve been following this guy for a while, and his progress is impressive. I believe he has a great future ahead.”
Once conditions became manageable under the closed roof, Sinner responded decisively, overturning a deficit to take the third set 6-4 before sealing the fourth by the same margin to advance to the fourth round.
The episode once again highlighted Sinner’s ongoing struggles in extreme heat – an issue that has surfaced previously, most notably at the Shanghai Masters – though Cahill remains confident that steps are being taken to address it. Tournament organisers later offered Sinner the option of moving his next match against compatriot Luciano Darderi to Rod Laver Arena. The Italian, however, chose not to disrupt his routine.
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“When it was known that Mensik would not play, they offered Jannik the chance to switch to the last session at Rod Laver Arena,” Cahill revealed. “But he preferred not to change anything. He recovered well and was happy to play at Margaret Court Arena. He has no problem playing there.” Sinner defeated Darderi in straight sets, 6-1 6-3 7-6 on Monday and will face Ben Shelton in the quarter-final on Wednesday.
English (US) ·