Sinner admits physical struggles ahead of Ruud showdown

Photo by Karim JAAFAR / AFP via Getty Images

Jannik Sinner moves past Daniil Medvedev to reach Italian Open final

Jannik Sinner advanced to the Italian Open final after a hard-fought win over Daniil Medvedev, coming through 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 in a semi-final that stretched over two days due to rain.

Sinner will now face Casper Ruud in the final after the Norwegian defeated Luciano Darderi in straight sets earlier on Saturday.

After the match, Sinner spoke to reporters and gave an update on how he’s feeling ahead of Sunday’s decider.

Jannik Sinner admits his semi-final was ‘very tough’ physically ahead of Rome final vs Casper Ruud

Photo by Mark Avellino/Anadolu via Getty Images

“I had to fight very, very hard yesterday,” said Sinner.

“I knew before the match it could be very physical.

“First set I played really well, then the conditions became very, very heavy.

“It was tough to get through.

“But at the same time, I tried to understand what’s working best. I tried to play with the best energy possible.

“Yesterday was very tough.

“Today, everything can happen because you start again from zero basically.

“Obviously, the position where I’ve been in was much better with a break up. When we played today was sunny, so different conditions.

“I’m happy that I got over the line.”

Sinner also mentioned that he found it difficult to get a good night’s sleep on Friday. “I struggled a bit to sleep this night. It has been a situation I haven’t been in yet, where you need to finish when you’re nearly over with the match,” he said. “You sleep, you don’t know what’s coming out the next day.”