Jannik Sinner in trouble, Flavia Pennetta is drastic

Jannik Sinner experienced a complicated evening at the Foro Italico.

After winning the first set of his match against Daniil Medvedev with great ease, the world number one suffered a severe physical decline in the second set, where he lost 7-5; in the third set, after getting a break, he insisted on breaking the match as the rain came. The South Tyrolean champion complained of cramps and a general state of discomfort, and he appeared in great pain even during court changes.

The long tour de force that began in the United States is weighing heavily on the physical and mental level on the Italian champion, who had to play practically every day in Rome this week. During a changeover, Sinner started breathing heavily, very fatigued, so much so that Flavia Pennetta to Sky had no doubts, “It was a panic attack.”

“It seemed like a panic attack to me because all of a sudden Jannik could no longer recover well. In my opinion, it looked like Jannik was having an anxiety attack, like he couldn’t breathe anymore,” the former tennis player said. “Then he was able to calm down, it had already happened er the first time at the Australian Open in 2025, and then he didn’t really know how to handle it. Maybe today he was able to recognize when these moments come and he overcame the difficulty.”

There is a recent precedent that fuels optimism ahead of Saturday’s resumption (at 3 p.m.): in the final of the Miami Masters 1000 last March 29, Sinner had already had to deal with capricious weather and numerous rain interruptions, the last of which lasted an hour and a half, before winning the title. On that occasion, Jannik had shown that he could turn the switch back on at the right time and not let the unexpected overwhelm him. An encouraging sign for the Italian fans, who hope to see him back in the final with the same determination shown in the first set against Medvedev.