World No. 1 Jannik Sinner is set to take part in an exhibition match on Wednesday despite soaring temperatures, less than a month after the Italian suffered dizziness during a shock second-round defeat at the French Open.
Sinner will face Cameron Norrie at the Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic as southern England endures an intense heat wave. Britain’s national weather service has issued a red warning, its highest alert level, due to extreme temperatures.
The exhibition is being held in Fulham, where temperatures reached approximately 33°C (91.4°F) early in the afternoon.
The reigning Wimbledon champion was seen wearing a cooling vest during practice at the All England Club earlier on Wednesday, highlighting the precautions being taken to cope with the heat.
At Roland Garros, Sinner appeared on course for a comfortable victory after taking the first two sets and building a 5-1 lead in the third. However, he eventually collapsed to a dramatic 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1 defeat against Juan Manuel Cerúndolo. During the match, temperatures on Court Philippe-Chatrier climbed to around 32°C (90°F), and Sinner repeatedly relied on ice packs in an effort to cool down.
Although the Italian has previously struggled with heat-related issues and cramping, he declined to attribute the loss solely to the weather. Reflecting on the defeat, Sinner acknowledged that a combination of factors had contributed to his physical difficulties and said he needed time to analyse what had gone wrong.
At the grass-court major a year ago, Sinner beat Carlos Alcaraz 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the final for his first Wimbledon title. Alcaraz will miss this year’s tournament because of a wrist injury.
The U.K.’s weather service said in its warning to “keep out of the sun and avoid any exercise between 11 am-3 pm when the sun is strongest.”
It said the region could see “a two to three-day period where maximum temperatures in the shade exceed 37 Celsius, perhaps rising to 38 to 40 Celsius in some places. The heat will be accompanied by high humidity, exacerbating the potential for discomfort and health impacts, with very warm and humid night times also reducing the ability for people to recover overnight.”
Wimbledon starts on Monday, when the temperature is expected to be 24 C (75 F).
