Jannik Sinner criticised for making a ‘bizarre’ mistake against Daniil Medvedev in Rome
Not for the first time in the Italian Open, Jannik Sinner looked in real discomfort during his semi-final match with Daniil Medvedev.
The Italian completely fell apart during the second set, where he looked to be dealing with a variety of health issues as he battled through the match.
Despite his clear issues, Sinner refrained from calling a medical timeout in the second set, which Jamie Murray believed was a clear mistake from the Italian.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Murray couldn’t work out why Sinner opted not to take a medical timeout while he was down a break in the secons set against Medvedev.
Sinner struggled from the second set onwards, which allowed the Russian back into the match.
The World No. 1 looked extremely out of sorts and was shaking between points. At one point, Sinner even seemed to vomit on court, which was picked up by both Naomi Cavaday and Tim Henman of Sky Sports.
On commentary, Murray said: “It is weird for me that he doesn’t take the physio or the doctor, there’s clearly something wrong with him.
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“That’s what I find bizarre about this situation, as well. We don’t know, he might be fully aware of what it is. Maybe it’s something he’s been habouring for a few days now, but it is strange in my eyes. It’s strange what’s going on.”
One of Sinner’s biggest weaknesses over the past year has been his fatigue and health issues, despite his monstrous success on the court.
He suffered from cramping against Tallon Griekspoor at the Shanghai Masters, which forced him to withdraw from the ATP 1000 competition.
The same nearly happened against Eliot Spizzirri at the Australian Open, but the Italian was saved by a heat rule which stopped play and allowed for the roof to be closed in Melbourne.
Sinner even looked to struggle against Tomas Machac at the Monte Carlo Masters earlier this year, elthough he did come through that match in straight sets.
There is no doubt that Sinner is the best player on the ATP Tour so far, but he has almost certainly shown the rest of the top players that he has a weakness that can be exploited.
You cannot blame the Italian either, as he has played a lot of tennis during this clay court swing so far. It is very rare that top players play all three of events in Monte Carlo, Madrid, and Rome, but Sinner’s chase for history as led him to this moment.
Whether it turns out to be a mistake for the longevity of the rest of his season, or even for Roland Garros, can only be judged once the rest of 2026 unfolds.
