THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 9, 2024

Jannik Sinner

Press Conference

D. MEDVEDEV/J. Sinner

6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 2-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Jannik, very big battle out there today. Can you give us your thoughts on that match?

JANNIK SINNER: Yeah, tough one. He played better in the important moments in the third. The third set was very important. The fifth can go both ways. Yeah, he won it.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Can you tell us what the physical problems you were experiencing out there, and were you sick? Did you vomit when you went off court?

JANNIK SINNER: Yeah, already this morning I didn't feel great. Had some problems. Then with the fatigue, it was tough.

But nothing to take away from Daniil. I think he played very smart. He played good tennis. That's it. I went off the court actually. I didn't want to go off. The physio told me better to take some time because he watched me, and I didn't seem in shape to play. I was struggling physically.

It was not easy moment. I tried to fight with that what I had today. No, that's it.

Q. Can you confirm, were you ill when you were off court?

JANNIK SINNER: Yeah, I was. I was not feeling great. I didn't vomit. This, no. But took some time because I was dizzy quite a lot. Yeah, actually off court I had a little bit the toughest time maybe.

When I went back, I tried my best. Obviously disappointed about the third set. Had couple of set points. Couldn't use them. Fourth set I raised my level a little bit. In the fifth I had just one poor service game, which decided the match.

Q. I wanted to ask you what it is like to play Daniil. He's always thinking. He plays differently than most players, especially of your generation. What is it like to be on the other end of that?

JANNIK SINNER: Yeah, I mean, he has been No. 1 in the world. He won a lot of titles. He knows how to handle the situation on the court.

He likes the long rallies. So this you know in advance. He's a smart player with some very good weapons. Today he deserved because he played better than me in certain moments. That's it.

Tough one again because lost in five in Roland Garros, in five here, and five in US Open last year. It's all part of what it takes to hopefully make the step forward again.

Q. You obviously spoke about the illness. Is there a lot of sickness that's going around the locker room at the moment?

JANNIK SINNER: No. Everyone seems okay. Obviously now you don't have that much contact with the players. It's quite empty now, the locker room.

But everyone seems okay. It was just me that I felt during this night a little bit like this. I couldn't sleep the hours I wanted to.

But these things can happen, so just unfortunate. That's it.

Q. Did you consider retiring when you went off the court? Did you think when you came back, that you would be able to push him to five sets?

JANNIK SINNER: No, I was also surprised that I pushed the match longer, no? I retired a lot two years ago. It's something I don't want to retire if it's only a little bit of illness or sick or whatever.

I was still in shape to play somehow. The fifth sets I felt a little bit better again. The energy level was a bit up. Today the energy level was not consistent. It was up and down. Like this, it's also not easy to handle the situations on the court.

It happens. I was never thinking about retire. This, no. But for sure the crowd helped me a lot trying to push me. You don't want to retire in a quarterfinal of a Grand Slam.

Q. How did you find the conditions on the court with the humidity and that sort of thing?

JANNIK SINNER: It was good. There is nothing to talk about. It was good. I felt not slippery, and it was good.

Q. How frustrated must you feel because something as random as this sickness knocked you out of Wimbledon, how much frustration you must have over that?

JANNIK SINNER: A lot, no? I felt like I was playing some good tennis. I had tough opponents to reach this point. But it also gives you confidence when you beat certain players, no?

It's tough because I felt like that I was, yeah, feeling the ball in a very positive way. Also today I tried. Just the ending was not what I wanted.

It still give me confidence for the next tournaments coming up. Then we see how it goes. I mean, it's a tough one to swallow. But the season is going very positive, a lot of wins, not so many losses. The losses, they are very tight matches.

The level is there. That's the most important. Just watching out of the positives.

Q. How does losing late in a Grand Slam now compare with when you would lose late in a Grand Slam before you were world No. 1, before you were the Australian Open champion? Is it a different feeling now?

JANNIK SINNER: Yeah, is different. Is different because you know that you can do it, no? But in the other way, every match you win, especially in Grand Slams, you never have to take it granted because every match is a tough win.

But for sure now hopefully I can play many more quarters and semis, giving myself a chance to hold again big trophies. By working hard and finding the right solution and way, I believe that I can go again further, and then we see what I can produce.

Q. Despite the loss, you were leading most of the match statistics. Do you see any positives from that going forward, especially towards the Olympics?

JANNIK SINNER: Yeah, I mean, of course, Olympics, clay, it's different. Let's see how we all prepare for this. But it's one of the biggest events we have throughout the year. I'm looking forward to it.

We have to see also the schedule after the Olympics. It's quite close. Let's see what we will do. No, I'm quite, yeah, positive mindset that I can do something great from now on.

As I said, the level of tennis is there. I can take some positives out also from today, trying to mix up couple of things, winning the points also in different ways. We will work on that, and hopefully it makes me a better player.