Jannik Sinner: Paolo Bertolucci Anticipates the Controversy

“To get ahead of the complaints! Sinner will play at 1 PM on Court 1. Temperatures are expected to exceed 30 degrees”: Paolo Bertolucci announced the time of the Wimbledon quarterfinal match between the Italian and Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff—scheduled for Tuesday, July 7—with an ironic post.

Once again, as was the case with Jenson Brooksby, the world No. 1 and defending champion will not play on Center Court but on Court 1, and will also open the day’s schedule at 1 p.m. local time (2 p.m. in Italy).

Fans are particularly concerned about the heat wave expected to hit London starting Tuesday. Temperatures are expected to reach 31 degrees starting at 1 p.m., while humidity is projected to hover around 31%–33%: it will be hot, but the weather shouldn’t be particularly muggy.

Regarding the upcoming heat, Sinner himself spoke with a certain calm during the press conference, though he admitted that weather conditions are a factor that shouldn’t be underestimated: “Whatever happened in the past is water under the bridge now. Now we’ll see if we’ve found a solution. If not, we’ll keep working toward the next one. But in any case, in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam, the feeling is different.” The world No. 1, who is notoriously uncomfortable in the heat, had already struggled with extreme temperatures at Roland Garros, but said he was “well prepared” to handle the situation.

If he beats Struff, Sinner would face either Felix Auger-Aliassime or Novak Djokovic in the semifinals; the two are set to face off in the quarterfinals on Center Court as the second match of the day. It would be the South Tyrolean’s third career semifinal at Wimbledon and his second this season at a Grand Slam.