Jim Courier Applauds Australian Open for Implementing Heat Policy During Jannik Sinner’s Match: “I Also Suffered”
Another Australian Open win will make Jannik Sinner the second man in the Open Era to win three consecutive titles in Melbourne.
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Jannik Sinner, Jim Courier (Image via EL PAIS, X/Jannik Sinner)
Jannik Sinner has made the fourth round of the 2026 Australian Open for the fifth consecutive time. Last year in the fourth round against Holger Rune, excessive heat got the better of the South Tyrol native, forcing him to take a controversial 11-minute medical timeout.
A similar thing happened during his third-round match against Eliot Spizzirri in the ongoing event. After losing the first set and winning the next, Sinner found himself at 2-1 and was broken in the next game, but moments before losing, he clasped his ankle and winced in pain, suffering from full-body cramps.
As per the Australian Open heat policy, if the Heat Stress Scale- which ranges from 1 to 5, reaches 5, then umpires will have to suspend the play. Because the match was held on Rod Laver Arena, play was suspended for 10 minutes during which the roof of the arena was closed.
Sinner used those 10 minutes effectively, as he lay down, stretched a bit, loosened up his muscles, and most importantly, he cooled down. The four-time Grand Slam champion returned to the court with renewed energy and clinched the match with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 scoreline. Following the match, Jim Courier recalled his match against Stefan Edberg on Tennis Channel Live to explain why the Australian Open did the right thing by implementing the heat rule.
I suffered. I won, but I suffered. Edberg and I played a four-set match; it was not even three hours on the clock, and both of us were cramping while we were waiting for the trophy presentation… Our bodies were just in shock. That’s what happens: your body goes into shock. I applaud the tournament, given how much more physical the game is now compared to how it was back then.
Sinner, the two-time defending champion, scheduled his fourth-round match against countryman Luciano Darderi. If he wins the tournament, he will become the second man after Novak Djokovic to win three back-to-back titles at Melbourne Park in the Open Era.
Patrick Mouratoglou on whether Novak Djokovic can compete with Jannik Sinner
Patrick Mouratoglou is of the opinion that Novak Djokovic is not desperate to win another Major title, which is why he cannot challenge Jannik Sinner the way he did when he was up against Carlos Alcaraz in the 2024 Paris Olympics final. On his Instagram, Serena Williams‘ former coach thinks the 38-year-old wants to prolong his career because of his love for the sport and not for his 25th Major ambition.
For me, Novak cannot compete with Jannik unless here (mentally) he wants it really, really, really badly, and it’s a big goal for him to win his 25th Grand Slam, and I don’t feel that. I don’t hear it. I don’t hear that for him it’s so important. I’m hearing that he’s happy to continue playing because of his love for tennis, because of the adrenaline. But not because he wants this 25th Grand Slam more than anything else.
Sinner was the reason why Djokovic crashed out in the semifinals of the 2024 Australian Open, 2025 French Open, and at Wimbledon the same year. The 24-time Grand Slam champion trails 4-6 in the head-to-head matchups with the Italian, losing their last five matches.
Djokovic has made the quarterfinals in the ongoing event Down Under after Jakub Mensik‘s withdrawal from the fourth round. He is scheduled to meet Lorenzo Musetti, against whom the Serb holds a 9-1 head-to-head lead.
The last time Djokovic won a Major was at the 2023 US Open versus Daniil Medvedev, while his last Australian Open came in 2023 against Stefanos Tsitsipas. Last year, an injury forced Nole to give the walkover to Alexander Zverev in the last four.
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