Jannik Sinner’s semi-final clash with Daniil Medvedev at the Italian Open was brought to a halt on Friday night because of rain, but after that, the Italian won the match.
Sinner, looking to secure his sixth straight ATP Masters 1000 title, was ahead 6-2, 5-7, 4-2 when play was stopped.
He had started the match strongly, taking the first set comfortably before Medvedev responded and became the first player to take a set off him in Rome this year. While Medvedev found his rhythm, it was noticeable that Sinner wasn’t moving as freely as usual.
Speaking before play resumed, Serena Williams’ former coach Rick Macci highlighted what he believed was holding back the world number one.
Photo by Mateo Villalba/Getty Images
Macci gave his thoughts on how Sinner approached rallies with Medvedev: “Do not read too much into the Meddy /Sinner match. Once Jannik tweaked the knee in the second, the quality of his shots went down microscopically, and his movement for the wide backhand was a few milliseconds late.
“These small razor-thin margins is why the Russian Spider had a little more time to drop and dictate. Then the points were longer, and then a mental/physical battle is out of the oven and on the table. @janniksin.”
“Jannik will be fine. Elite players have many issues, and feeling sick is part of the journey when you’re the best with the stick.”
Sinner went into their match-up having not dropped a set at this year’s Italian Open. That streak ended when Medvedev levelled the match at one set each.
It marked only the second time in Sinner’s last ten matches that he had lost a set. The previous instance came in Madrid against Karen Khachanov.
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