Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
On a “red-warning” day of extreme heat in London, Jannik Sinner has dished out his own warning that he’ll be fine to defend his Wimbledon title, returning successfully to action for the first time since being sensationally derailed at a sweltering French Open.
It was only a grass-court exhibition match at the prestigious Hurlingham Club, a 15-minute drive from Wimbledon, but world No.1 Sinner certainly looked in good nick as he defeated British No.1 Cam Norrie 6-3 6-3 on the sort of scorching day supposed to make life so uncomfortable for the pale Italian.
In the teeth of the hottest June day ever recorded in the UK — temperatures were 33C (91.4F) on Wednesday and still rising in early afternoon at the south-west London venue — Sinner played his first match since his boilover second-round loss from two sets and 5-1 up to Juan Manuel Cerundolo in Paris on May 28.
The temperature on Court Philippe-Chatrier in Paris had been 32C (90F) when Sinner, who’d been in complete control, began to struggle to cool himself down, having to reach for multiple ice bags as he felt dizziness, with his form subsequently falling off a cliff.
And although the Italian, who’s had a history of problems with heat and cramps, didn’t blame the heat entirely after the loss, suggesting it was a combination of factors, it’s only prompted more question marks about his team’s preparations for him to deal with the hottest conditions in grand slam five-setters.
“A very hot day,” Sinner conceded in his post-match on-court interview on Wednesday. “Exhibition matches, they are good because we try out a couple of things and hopefully be as good as we can then for the next week.”
When asked what he was trying out, Sinner responded with a smile: “I don’t know”.
Earlier, Sinner had again been seen wearing a cooling vest at practice at Wimbledon but during the Norrie match, he wasn’t using ice packs.
Sinner, who’s lost just three of 40 matches this year, will again start overwhelming favourite at Wimbledon, where conditions are expected to be significantly cooler, around 24C, by the time the main draw action kicks off on Monday.
Having defeated then champion Carlos Alcaraz 4-6 6-4 6-4 6-4 in last year’s final for his maiden Wimbledon crown, Sinner won’t have to worry about his greatest rival this year as the Spaniard’s out with a wrist injury that also prevented him defending his French Open title last month.
Meanwhile, another Wimbledon contender Taylor Fritz has decided to pull out of the Eastbourne Championship warm-up event, ending his chances of a hat-trick of titles at the seaside venue, following Brazilian star Joao Fonseca’s earlier withdrawal. Both are expected to be fine for Wimbledon.
