Jannik Sinner has explained that he likely “ate something wrong” and that caused him to throw up into a bin during his China Open quarter-final victory over Grigor Dimitrov. The Italian has set up a blockbuster semi-final clash with Carlos Alcaraz but had to overcome not just his opponent but also a bout of illness during the match.
The 22-year-old had already been feeling worse for wear during his previous victory over Brit Dan Evans, who mocked Sinner for requiring medical treatment as he mimicked a limp and gestured to the crowd. But Sinner did not appear to recover fully in time to face Dimitrov, despite coming out on top in a 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 win.
During one changeover Sinner called over a wheelie bin, lifted the lid and vomited underneath the bin mid-match before returning to defeat Dimitrov. Several players have complained about the conditions in China, as humidity at 70 per cent will unlikely have helped Sinner recover from his cold.
“I had one game 15-40, one game 0-40 where I made some unforced errors and he also played quite aggressive,” Sinner said in his on-court interview. “This is tennis. Obviously it’s easier if you take those chances. In the third set I thought I handled the situation well, especially when serving at a tough moment at 4-2. I’m very happy to be in the next round.
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“A very tough evening, the level was really high. I didn’t feel very good, maybe I ate something wrong. At one point I also threw up a little, but I’m happy with how I handled the situation.”
He will hope to be in top condition for his upcoming battle with Alcaraz, however, despite the short turnaround as they bid for a place in the final against either Daniil Medvedev or Alexander Zverev.
Alcaraz overcame Casper Ruud to set up a clash with Sinner, their first meeting since the Italian starlet upset Alcaraz at the Miami Open. That saw Sinner tie their head-to-head as each player has claimed victory on three occasions, but while Sinner is struggling with illness Alcaraz has insisted that he has “extra confidence” following his win over Ruud.
“I am very happy,” Alcaraz said. “To be able to beat a player like Casper in straight sets is really good. It means you are playing well. It is really tough, big rallies at the beginning of the match, but I am really happy with the level.
“Being able to find solutions after the start of the first set. These kind of matches give you extra confidence.”
