Tennis fans have not taken kindly to Jannik Sinner’s explanation for his defeat to Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. Many fans argued that the World No. 1’s discussion of his illness issues was simply an attempt to make excuses for his loss
Medvedev snapped his five-match losing streak against Sinner in remarkable fashion, battling past the World No. 1 to claim a hard-fought 6-7(7), 6-4, 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-3 victory in four hours, booking his place in the semifinals of the grasscourt Major.
Despite a strong start, the Italian appeared to be struggling physically during the contest, as he called for a medical timeout in the third set after complaining of dizziness. Although the 22-year-old bounced back to claim the fourth set, he couldn’t maintain his momentum to pull off the win.
In his post-match press conference, Jannik Sinner revealed that he had been feeling unwell since the morning of the match, citing illness issues and fatigue. While he credited Medvedev for playing “smart” tennis, the Italian admitted that he was “struggling” physically during the closely contested battle.
“This morning I already didn’t feel great. I had some problems and then with the fatigue. It was tough. Nothing to take away from Daniil. I think he played very smart, good tennis. That’s it. I went off the court. I actually didn’t want to go off,” Jannik Sinner said.
“The physio told me it was better to take some time because he watched me and I didn’t seem in shape to play. I was struggling physically. It wasn’t an easy moment. I tried to fight with what I had today. That’s it,” he added.
Tennis fans, however, were not impressed by Sinner’s statement, with many of them arguing that the World No. 1 has a tendency to make “excuses” when he loses. One fan suggested that the 22-year-old isn’t a gracious loser, drawing an unfavorable comparison to Rafael Nadal.