Eliot Spizzirri Reacts to the Pivotal 10-Minute Break Rule During his Australian Open Clash Against Jannik Sinner: “It Was Funny”
Jannik Sinner was trailing 3-1 in the third set during his third-round match against Eliot Spizzirri at the Australian Open when play was suspended due to the heat policy.
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Eliot Spizzirri and Jannik Sinner at the 2026 Australian Open (image via Instagram- @janniksin)
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Eliot Spizzirri reached the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time at the 2026 Australian Open, where he faced two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner. The match was a huge scare for Sinner, who survived after encountering one of his biggest challengers.
There are perhaps only two factors that can challenge the World No. 2- his archrival Carlos Alcaraz and the sweltering weather. He suffered in the hands of the latter today and experienced bad cramps throughout his match.
The conditions in Melbourne were harsh and the Italian was down by a set and a break, when the match was suspended in the third set in accordance to the new heat policy. When play resumed, the roof was closed, and after this point, the tables turned, and Sinner went on to win the subsequent two sets, albeit being down by a break in the last set too. He won the match 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. In his post-match press conference, Spizzirri spoke about the incident, which he found amusing:
I don’t know if that saved him. I smiled a bit when the heat rule came into effect; it was a funny moment with me up 3-1. But that’s the rule; it was when it had to come into effect, no matter who won that game, because the roof was going to close anyway. It was funny that it closed right when I broke his serve and he was wobbly, but that’s how it happened. Those are the rules of the game, and you have to live with them.
The heat has often got the better of the Italian. Last year, he could not defend his Cincinnati Open and Shanghai Masters titles, as he was forced to retire from both tournaments. It will be interesting to see how Sinner’s title defence unfolds in Melbourne after this incident.
Jannik Sinner path to achieving a three-peat at the Australian Open
Four-time Grand Slam champion Jannik Sinner will be aiming for a third consecutive Australian Open title. If he is able to do so, he would become the second man to achieve this feat in the Open Era, after Novak Djokovic.
The Serb won three consecutive Australian Open titles from 2011 to 2013 and 2019 to 2021. Sinner won the 2024 title, defeating Daniil Medvedev in the final, and the 2025 title, defeating Alexander Zverev in the final.
After the third-round incident, it will be interesting to see how Sinner recovers for his upcoming matches. In the fourth round, the 24-year-old is set to face compatriot Luciano Darderi, who has reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time. This will mark the first meeting on court between the two players.
In the quarterfinals, Sinner could meet Ben Shelton or Casper Ruud. In the semifinal, he could meet 10-time champion Djokovic, and in the final, he could meet World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz. Alcaraz will be aiming to become the youngest man to complete the elusive Career Grand Slam in this tournament.
Currently, this distinction belongs to his compatriot Rafael Nadal, who was the youngest man to not only complete the Career Grand Slam but also the Career Golden Slam, a feat he achieved after winning the 2010 US Open at the age of 24.
Apart from Nadal, only four other men have completed the Open Era have completed the Career Grand Slam in the Open Era- Rod Laver, Andre Agassi, Roger Federer, and Djokovic.
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