Eliot Spizzirri reveals unique preparations for Australian Open third-round against Jannik Sinner as American hails 'class' Roger Federer

Eliot Spizzirri is preparing for the biggest match of his career in unusual fashion. The 24-year-old American faces world No. 2 and two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open third round and, instead of putting his feet up on his day away from competitive action, he has been helping to make core memories for the tournament's ball kids on the grounds of Melbourne Park.

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Eliot Spizzirri, amid his deepest run at a Grand Slam, faces the ultimate test against two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open third round on Saturday.

And while most would prepare for such a hefty task by gaining valuable rest or putting in hours on the practice court, Spizzirri had another idea - to play table tennis with the Australian Open's ball kids.

"Some ping pong with the ball kids is an absolute joy," Spizzirri told Australian Open.

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"Ping pong is one of my favourite things to do. I always said if there was a talent show at my school, I'd go and play ping pong."

Spizzirri's run in Melbourne thus far marks a significant breakthrough and his clash against Sinner will be his first against any of the current top five so far in his career.

While tennis and table tennis require far different skills, there are obvious similarities - and 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer has been known to enjoy the condensed format.

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Spizzirri, despite having a long affiliation with table tennis, was not keen to back himself against Federer. "I wouldn't put money on myself," he said before expressing his admiration for the Swiss great.

"I definitely admire just the way [Federer] went about his business. He did it with so much class … [he] was also so generous to his fans and to other players in the locker room.

"And I think everyone kind of feels that just with the aura that he has around him. [He’s] just someone that's carried himself with the utmost class for his whole entire career."

Spizzirri's success at the Australian Open marks yet another encouraging step for American tennis.

With Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, Jessica Pegula and defending champion Madison Keys all inside the top 10, the likes of 18-year-old Iva Jovic and 20-year-old Learner Tien have also broken through.

World No. 85 Spizzirri dispatched Brazilian prospect Joao Fonseca in the opening round before edging a gruelling five-set encounter with Wu Yibing to set up his clash against Sinner.

On the prospect of playing Sinner, Spizzirri said after his second-round win: "That would be a ton of fun.

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"It would be an awesome experience. I mean going against one of the best players in the world and one of the toughest challengers in our sport. I would be grateful to be out there and do the best I can."

Sinner is hunting his third consecutive title in Melbourne, and his impressive straight-sets victory over James Duckworth in the second round marked his 16th consecutive victory in the tournament.

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