How rule at Australian Open saw Jannik Sinner avoid major upset and survive in Grand Slam - ‘He was absolutely cooked’

Jannik Sinner survived a massive scare to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open and keep his hopes of a third-straight title alive. At one set apiece and a break down in the third to Eliot Spizzirri, the Italian was hit by a severe bout of cramp. However, in scorching temperatures, the heat rule offered him a reprieve and he made the most of it to prevail in four sets.

There was drama galore on day seven of the Australian Open, and at the heart of it was defending men’s singles champion Jannik Sinner.

After serenely progressing into the third round, the tournament favourite suddenly looked in trouble in the searing Melbourne heat.

At one set apiece with world No. 85 Eliot Spizzirri, the Italian was hit by a severe bout of cramp, which started in his hand and worked its way down into his legs, leaving him struggling to walk, let alone compete on one of the sport’s grandest stages.

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However, on the brink of defeat after falling a break down in the third set, the tournament’s heat rule offered him a reprieve as the temperature approached 40C.

"You see by the pictures there, he was absolutely cooked," TNT Sports expert Tim Henman said. "He’s facing break point, he’s trying to stretch out his legs, I’m sure at this stage he’s probably panicking thinking, ‘Well, I am minutes away from having to retire’.

"That was his effort at a serve down break point. They get into this exchange from the back of the court, Spizzirri’s doing a great job of making him move and making life difficult. Great use of the drop shot [to go up] 3-1 with a break and he [Sinner] is in serious trouble."

Sinner admits he got 'lucky' as heat rule saves him after cramps

Video credit: TNT Sports

Laura Robson added: "We weren’t sure if he was going to be able to finish the match, let alone stay on his feet. It was emotional for him and then obviously, the trainer was called previously for cramp. You can’t take a medical timeout; there was a lot going on at this stage of the match.

"So play was suspended on all courts around the grounds. They made the decision to shut the roof on the stadium courts. This is all happening while he’s cramping."

The players soon returned once the roof was closed, but Sinner was far from out of the woods. While his physical condition had undoubtedly improved, he still had to dig deep to swing the momentum in his favour.

However, despite being just 24 years old, Sinner is no stranger to adversity. He faced a similar situation at last year’s Australian Open in the fourth round before a stroke of luck came to his aid.

'Unbelievable' - Watch Sinner get 'lifeline' as match gets suspended due to heat rule

Video credit: TNT Sports

And it is his remarkable ability to remain calm under the most intense pressure that got him through this latest examination. An immediate break was the catalyst as Sinner completed a four-set victory to keep his hopes of a third-straight title in Melbourne alive.

"There was a lot going on" Jim Courier said. "Remember last year against Holger Rune, he was in a lot of trouble on a hot day just like this in the fourth round. He survived that one when the net broke and he got about 20 extra minutes in the air conditioning, so this was a game-changer for Jannik Sinner.

"It didn’t happen straight away, it took him time for his body to really cool down, the core temperature finally coming down.

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"Spizzirri was not able to hold onto the break early and that was really costly for Eliot, who did look much better in the heat. But this is one of those matches where it was just about survival and using his guile, because it was his mind that got him through this as much as anything.

"He didn’t panic, he knew he was in trouble, but he stayed calm and that’s one way to make sure the cramps don’t get worse."

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