Spizzirri, after falling to Sinner: "I don't know if the roof saved him, but the moment of closing was funny"

The seventh day of this 2026 Australian Open almost started with a bang. Eliot Spizzirri stole a set from Jannik Sinner in a match marked by high temperatures. A good scare that the Italian managed to control.

However, he needed some help from the organization. Everything started to change once they closed the roof, at which point the Italian gradually turned the situation around against a growing Eliot Spizzirri after taking the first set. In the end, everything ended as expected, with a four-set victory for Jannik Sinner. Still, no one can take away from the American the feeling of being a protagonist at the Rod Laver Arena against one of the best on the circuit. These were his words in the press conference before leaving the Australian Open.

Match Assessment

“It has been a good tournament for me, my first time directly entering a Grand Slam, so my first time having weeks to prepare for these five-set matches. I had a great preseason to do it, that's what pleases me the most, seeing that my body could endure some exhausting matches. Today was tough, with some additional nerves stepping onto the court against Jannik, it was my first time in a big stadium. I think I handled it well, happy with how I executed my game plan, committed to what I had to do but at the same time knowing he would adjust. I hope to improve further over time.”

Italian's Extreme Situation

“It's difficult when you see that your opponent is cramping or seems injured, there his ball speed tends to drop, his serving speed also dropped. We slowed down the pace of the match a bit, he started taking his time, so it was hard for me to stay aggressive, using his ball speed as before. I'm not 100% sure if it was cramps, probably so, although he has been through this before. I think he served very well to stay in the third set, which caused me to have to concentrate even more to keep my energy high, maybe be more physical with my shots as he tried to conserve his energy. It was difficult to keep betting on the same game, so I will learn for next time.”

Spizzirri Confesses Whether the Roof Saved Jannik Sinner

“I don't know if that saved him, I smiled a bit when the heat rule came into effect, it was a fun moment with 3-1 in my favor. But that's the rule, it was when it had to come into effect, no matter who won that game because then the roof would close anyway. It was funny that it closed just as I broke him and he was struggling, but it happened that way. Those are the rules of the game, and you have to live with them. If I had won the third set, we would have had a ten-minute break anyway due to the heat, who knows? We have seen this before, coming back from a break and then resolving it; I think he already did it with Rune in this tournament. I wouldn't say he was saved by that, he's too good a player to say that, although it happened in a challenging moment. You could say it was lucky, but he also has a lot of experience and handled it well.”

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The Conditions Are the Same for Everyone

“I don't know if this increased my confidence stepping in, I wasn't thinking about the other side of the court, just about myself. I take pride in my physical condition and the work I have been doing in the gym. When I saw how hot it was, I wasn't disappointed. It's bad luck to have to play on a day like this, but I tried to savor it and see it as an opportunity to show my endurance, see if I could last longer than him. He has been through many grueling matches in his career, so it wouldn't be fair for me to say that I was going to win the match due to the heat.”

In Favor of the Heat Rule

“Rules are rules, I have nothing to say about them. I have played in much worse conditions, trained in much worse situations, in Austin during college, the conditions were brutal. Maybe it's good to have had that experience but, at the same time, I won't lie and say I didn't feel a very hot atmosphere. I would say that most players have competed in brutal conditions, so this rule is to protect us, I suppose. It will surely promote the guys to stay healthy for a longer period during the season because many consecutive matches like this can be hard on the body. I'm not going to say it's a bad rule, it's probably a great rule, although today certainly wasn't the hottest day I've had on the court.”

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Spizzirri, tras caer ante Sinner: “No sé si el techo le salvó, pero el momento de cerrarse fue gracioso”