Jannik Sinner openly admits to fortune on court after dealing with cramping in roasting conditions: "I know my body a bit better now, and I hoped it would slowly go away"

It was not smooth sailing for Jannik Sinner earlier today when he overcame cramping and soaring temperatures to take down Eliot Spizzirri 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in the fourth round of the Australian Open. He offered an insight on his process when play was shortly suspended as he admitted on another day he may not be in this tournament.

After going a set down, he managed to recover against the tricky American. However, he was in a dilemma when on the wrong end of a 3-1 scoreline, suffering dearly on Rod Laver Arena. The delay in play saw Sinner re-gather his thoughts and recover before managing to get the better of his opponent in a really challenging day on court.

"Yes, I’m very happy about today. Obviously, for the next match, let’s see what’s coming," he told reporters in his press conference after, already looking ahead to the last-16 clash against fellow Italian Luciano Darderi. "We’ve only practised once together, so it’s not a lot. But I’m very happy that there will be at least one Italian for sure in the quarter-finals. Again, in a Grand Slam, that’s great. So let’s see what’s coming."

He was in full praise for the performance of his opponent, with him opening up on changes he made to his game part way through to combat with the24-year-old.

"I felt like he was moving very well, especially on the backhand side—he barely missed any shots. He had a great balance of when to go for it and moved around the ball really well," he said. "After that, I changed the rhythm and the pace a little bit, which helped me get into points in different ways. But he’s a great, great player. I have to give him a lot of credit—coming here for the first time, playing in Australia and at this level, it’s impressive. He seems like a good guy and I obviously wish him the best."

The day had been dominated by talk about the ridiculously high heat that Melbourne is currently experiencing. Temperatures up to 40 Degrees Celsius forced play to be stopped at one point, with Sinner not coping well with him cramping up in parts of the third set.

"Yes, it was hot today. I started to cramp a little bit in the third set, which slowly went away over time," he said. "I know my body slightly better now, with more experience, and I try to handle certain situations better."

Fortunately for the Italian, the suspension of play came at a great time with the roof being closed for action to once again get underway. It was a chance to reset, recover and focus once more on the task at hand. "I also got a bit lucky today because when they closed the roof, it took some time. I tried to loosen up a little bit, and it helped. It also changed the way I played certain points, which helped me today for sure."

Tennis players know that days like these ones will crop up when playing all around the world. This is why they prepare for them to they do not get caught out. "That’s why we’ve gone to Dubai twice in a row—for the weather conditions. This year it wasn’t as warm as last year, though," he acknowledged. "Sometimes there’s no real explanation. For example, the night before I didn’t sleep the way I wanted to—the quality of sleep wasn’t perfect. Maybe it was that, maybe not."

He had to be patient to get over his early scares, but once re-composed he was back on track. "Regardless, I try to be in the best possible shape every day. Recovery, everything going in the right direction—sometimes this just happens. I know my body a bit better now, and I hoped it would slowly go away, which it did today."

He was not shying away from openly acknowledging that fortune was on his side at times. "The rule also helped me, having the ten-minute break after the third set," he stated. "I tried to find the right balance and the right way to play against him, which helped me today."

While he managed to get through it today, another day Sinner may not be as lucky. He was not sure whether it was genetic or not, while striving to improve. "We don’t really know. As I said before the tournament, physically I feel good and mentally as well," he commented. "Sometimes the only thing you can do is fight.

"It’s definitely an area where I would love to improve. There’s a reason why I go to the gym every day and try to get better. But at the same time, every player has their own small problems, and maybe this is mine." There is room to improve, and I’m quite sure we will do everything possible to improve in a positive way. Then we’ll see how it goes."

Earlier, the world number two admitted to feeling 'lucky' after coming through the tough test. When asked if he was concerned that his luck would run out, he could not offer a conclusive answer. "I don’t know. I believe I’m someone who puts tennis as the highest priority. I’ve been doing that for years now."

All the hard work put into this sport has paid off hugely these prior couple of years, with that a big part for his success over luck. "In the back of my mind, I know how much I work, and I feel well prepared, even if some problems could happen on court. Of course, there will be days where you don’t find a way—it’s not that everything always goes your way."

As well as that, continuous positive thoughts and a composed attitude. "But with a positive mindset, more positive things can happen. If you think negatively on court, most likely more negative things will come. I try to stay calm even in moments like this. If he had kept playing the way he was playing and I dropped a little bit more, maybe my tournament would have been over today. I don’t know."

With the roof taking its sweet time to close, Sinner was ready to use every fleeting second to get back into a more competitive shape. He explained how he did this, and how much of a benefit it proved to be.

"Nothing special. I was alone—there was no treatment, and you can’t receive treatment during that time," he explained. "I was stretching and laying down for about five minutes, trying to loosen up the muscles and bring my body temperature down a bit. It worked really well. There aren’t many things you can do. Time passed quite fast, but it helped me for sure."

He continued to say that there was no ice or anything of the sort. "No. There’s just a room next to the court with a treatment bed, and that’s it."