Wimbledon: Sinner crashes out in fifth set, Medvedev reaches semi-finals

Jannik Sinner’s run on the Wimbledon lawns ends in the quarter-finals, at the end of a match marked by ups and downs in emotions: after topping the first set, the world number one returns, then suffers from an illness. It almost forces him to retire, but he remains in the match, clinging to the match with courage and will, until the comeback, which ends at the best moment, in the fifth set, when he finally surrenders to Daniil Medvedev. The conclusion of a pulsating match (67 (7) 64 76 (4) 26 63, in four hours), with continuous reversals in the score, 11 minutes of stoppage time due to Sinner’s illness, which cut short the path to the second consecutive semi-final of the tournament by the Russian champion, the number 5 favorite. A defeat that leaves a bitter taste in the mouth of the Italian, who was unable to compete on equal terms against an opponent who had always been defeated in his last five matches.

“It’s a tough defeat to digest, now I’m frustrated, but I have to force myself to look at the positives in this tournament.” An hour after Medvedev’s knockout win, Jannik Sinner explains the illness he suffered in the third set. “I don’t want to take anything away from Daniil who deserved it today because he played better. Last night I didn’t sleep well, and this morning I didn’t feel well, my head was spinning, I was dizzy,” he added. “I felt weak in the third set, which made me feel even more upset and I didn’t want to leave the court and I never thought about retiring.

Even today his numbers (but not the final result) confirm his superiority: more aces (17 to 15), winners (61 to 56), total points (164 to 160), fewer unjustified errors (45 to 49). But Sinner clearly made the mistake of not playing the decisive points of the match with his usual frankness. And so the opportunity was lost even with all the mitigating circumstances of the case. Because from the first exchanges of the match, the Italian world number 1 seems in trouble, suffering, almost in a daze. In the first set, it was an even match against the Russian, the favorite number 5, until the tiebreak, where it was the different level of calm between the two that made the difference: Medvedev had a specific point, but he wasted it badly, Sinner did not. R . However, the Moscow champion reacted immediately and immediately broke the South Tyrolean player’s serve, defending his lead until he won the set.

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At the start of the third set, after the break, Sinner’s discomfort worsens. “My head is spinning,” he tells his doctor, who measures his blood saturation. Indigestion, low blood pressure or sugar levels: Sinner, clearly tired, returns to the locker rooms, where he emerges – welcomed with a standing ovation from Centre Court – with a face that is not at all refreshed. Quite the opposite. The expression on his face is a grimace of suffering, and uncertainty also affects his tennis. He asks for a basket to keep close by in case he needs to return it. But here Sinner has the advantage of not giving up, trying not to let the Russian advance too much, despite playing with limited mobility and the haste of someone who knows he will not be able to maintain the exchanges.

However, slowly, game after game, he seems to be regaining strength and confidence again, until Medvedev goes to serve for the set. So far, without a single break point in his account, Sinner collected three points in a row, before re-establishing parity. Which not only reopens the set, but also reflects the deadlock in the match. Why does Sinner lose the subsequent tiebreak, but then dominates the fourth set, fooling his fans. But in the fourth game he was distracted during his turn on serve: he saved two of the three break points he received, but the third was fatal. Now holding his breath due to fatigue, the champion from San Candido no longer had the strength to respond, which led to the defeat. A day after eliminating his girlfriend Anna Kalinskaya, she had to withdraw due to injury.