Fabio Fognini came through the first round with a win over Sugita but the Italian felt drained after the match due to the conditions in Tokyo.
Fabio Fognini is not a player who usually speaks about conditions at the event but the mercurial Italian felt the need the speak on the matter joining the likes of Djokovic and Medvedev. After his 1st round match Fognini said:
“I don’t know if this is playing tennis or not, The conditions are far too extreme. I’m completely exhausted."
Fognini is not a player whose condition should be questioned as the Italian has had a fair share of epic 5-set matches that lasted well over four hours. However, the conditions in Tokyo are affecting him:
“The balls are very fast and fly. I played in difficult situations, for example in Australia, but this is really tough. I did 18
minutes of a warm-up this morning and I already had enough. This climate spoils you mentally. Let’s hope it gets a little cooler in the next few days. In any case, I try to take it [in stride] as it is
possible this is my last Olympics.”