World No.1 Jannik Sinner faced a stiff challenge from Daniil Medvedev during the Rome Masters semifinal on Friday. Sinner delivered a flawless performance in the first set, winning 6–2, but Medvedev pulled off a stunning comeback to take the second set 7–5, while breaking Sinner’s serve twice. Sinner was leading the third set 4-2 when play was suspended due to rain. Sinner was not at his best in terms of fitness in the second and third sets, even throwing up on court during the second set, and the rain break couldn’t have come at a better time for the Italian.
Sinner might win the game after the overnight break, but it leaves a very serious question unanswered – Why does Sinner suffer such a sudden dip in fitness?
Is it a fatigue issue because the tennis schedule is hectic, or it’s more psychological, or something else? In a viral video from the match, Sinner seemed to have also suffered a panic attack during the match, leaving the fans concerned about his physical and mental health ahead of Roland Garros.
Something is majorly off… those who really care about Sinner should be really concerned too, this is not normal for a supremely fit 24 year old elite athlete.We see this so many times now with him, he’s putting his health at risk. pic.twitter.com/v1KXZe9nEm
— Pavvy G (@pavyg) May 15, 2026
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And this is not the first time it has happened to Sinner. During the match against Holger Rune at the Australian Open, Sinner faced similar circumstances when his hands started shaking, and he even struggled to hold a towel near his face.
Jannik Sinner physically shaking during his match against Rune at Australian OpenHe told his team he wasn’t able to ‘move to his left’Visibly struggling and hasn’t been the same for the last two setsLikely adrenaline combined with not feeling 100% pic.twitter.com/0RPDSxTI2T
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 20, 2025
Sinner didn’t go into the details, but said that he was dealing with a health problem. “I wasn’t feeling well, I felt dizzy. No injuries, just a few health problems. I fought against a tough opponent, but also a little against myself,” he said after the match.
Emilio Sodano, a former doctor of the Italian national team in Davis and today the health manager of the Tennis Federation, had reflected on Sinner’s situation and said that it looked more like a psychological issue than physical.
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“I was also surprised by that tremor. It was a strange mode. Of course, from so many thousands of kilometers away, it is impossible to make a diagnosis: I can only put forward some hypotheses. And his idea is that it was an “anxiety and fear” reaction, not something organic, he was quoted as saying by Quotidiano Sportivo.
“The way that tremor happened was very strange. I would rule out dehydration, even in those very hot conditions. The match had just started, the tennis players drink a lot and are careful to keep the situation under control. I don’t even think of a pressure decrease; the situation was resolved very quickly. Dizziness for a labyrinthitis? No, it gives severe vertigo and he would have collapsed to the ground. If anything, according to Sodano, it could have been a psychological reaction in the face. of an unexpected illness, an anxiety reaction, a fright, given also the speed with which the tremor disappeared,” he concluded.
When Will Jannik Sinner-Daniil Medvedev Match Resume
Meanwhile, the tournament organizers confirmed the match will resume at 3 PM local time (6:30 PM IST) on Saturday, two hours before the scheduled women’s final between Coco Gauff and Elina Svitolina.
