Former Italian player Flavia Pennetta has revealed that Jannik Sinner might have struggled with anxiety attacks during his semi-final clash against Daniil Medvedev on Friday (May 16).
The Italian star was at one time gasping for air in the match before it was suspended and postponed in the middle of the third set.
Sinner seemed on the verge of collapse, especially in the second set. After the first set, no one envisaged Sinner's struggles on the court, as he was dominating the tie, winning the set 6-1. But Medvedev changed tactics in the second set to disrupt the Italian star's rhythm.
Medvedev broke Sinner early in the second set, which affected the World No.1's balance in the match. The Russian star effectively used drop shots to force Sinner to use more physical energy than he would have had to. It could have been 4-0, but Sinner found a way to break back after half vomiting close to the court.
After losing the second set 5-7, the camera panned to Sinner on his bench, and he was seen breathing hard, as if he had run a marathon. He looked to be in a bad condition, holding the side of his stomach and ribs as he kept gasping for air, appeared out of breath, and the condition was suddenly taking a toll on his body.
However, at the start of the third set, the former Australian Open champion managed to break his opponent's serve, taking the lead before the rain interruption that forced the organizers to postpone the match until Saturday (May 16), with Sinner leading 6-1, 5-7, 4-2 (40-AD) at the Foro Italico. Nonetheless, Pennetta was disturbed about Sinner's struggle to breathe and admitted he had an anxiety attack on Sky Sports:
In my opinion, it looked like Jannik was having an anxiety attack, as if he couldn't breathe. But he managed to calm down. It had already happened for the first time at the 2025 Australian Open, and back then he wasn't sure how to handle the situation. Maybe today he was able to recognize when these moments arrive.
Sinner and Medvedev are seeking to reach the Italian Open final for the second time in their careers. Medvedev won the championship in 2023, which was one of the biggest shocks of that year's event. Sinner finished as a runner-up last year after failing to beat Carlos Alcaraz at the tournament.
Casper Ruud has already cemented his place in the final of the Italian Open. He awaits the winner of the match between Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev. This is the first time the Norwegian star has reached the tournament championship match after failing three times previously.
He defeated Luciano Darderi 6-1, 6-1 in the semi-finals to reach the final on Friday (May 15). During his post-match press conference, he was asked whether Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner's dominance is frustrating for other players. The former top 10 star admitted that it sometimes feels frustrating to see the two top players dominate the men's circuit:
Yeah, sometimes. Sometimes you have to look at yourself in the mirror and realize it wasn't maybe meant to be in some matches that you lose or seeing how there was sort of some openings for someone to kind of take over the throne after the big three when they seemed towards the end of their domination. Obviously Novak [Djokovic] is still around, still has a chance in my eyes to win the biggest titles when he's on.
With Alcaraz injured, Sinner has been the player dominating the men's circuit. He won the Madrid Open, dropping just one set, and he's edging closer to reaching the final of the Italian Open for the second time. However, Ruud will hope to spoil the party for Sinner, should they meet in the final.
(2072 Articles Published)