“I struggled a bit physically today. I was lucky with the heat rule and the roof closure,” Jannik Sinner admitted after surviving a brutal test at the Australian Open. The world No. 2 will be eager to put that third-round scare behind him, and this time, the conditions seem to be swinging back in his favor with a change in scheduling.

The Italian battled through cramps, extreme heat, and a tough challenge from Eliot Spizzirri, rallying for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 win inside Rod Laver Arena to book his spot in the fourth round against Luciano Darderi.

Still, unlike the last match, Sinner should be closer to full strength. Why? Because “Two-time defending champ Sinner will play his R16 match on Margaret Court Arena on Monday and avoids the day session,” as revealed by veteran journalist Jose Morgado on X.

According to the report, Sinner and Darderi are scheduled to play not before 6:00 pm AEDT, which is 7:00 am GMT tomorrow.With the heat now mitigated, Sinner knows he can’t afford any lapses in focus at this year’s Australian Open if he wants to win a third title in Melbourne.

But Darderi won’t make things easy. The rising Italian has been trending upward, with the technical skill and tactical tools to seriously test him, and he’ll no doubt be looking to spring a surprise.

According to AccuWeather, the weather in Melbourne on January 26 is expected to be around 31°C (87.8°F). That’s a big change from Saturday’s brutal 38°C (100.4°F), when Sinner was clearly feeling the effects and later said the tournament’s heat rule helped him get through the match.

Things hit a scary point in the third set with the match tied at one set all. Sinner lost his serve yet again as Spizzirri went up 3-1. Even more worryingly, Sinner looked physically out of it, service game not at full strength as he struggled to deal with Spizzirri’s returns amidst full body cramps.

Fortunately, it was right around then that the Australian Open’s heat stress scale hit 5, forcing the safety measures to kick in at Rod Laver Arena. Play was suspended for 10 minutes and players were sent off, as the roof was closed and the air circulation system began to cool down the arena.

That pause turned out to be crucial. When play resumed, Jannik Sinner looked like a completely different player. He broke back immediately and took control from there, swinging the momentum firmly in his favor.

Why did Jannik Sinner’s opponent smile when the heat rule kicked in?

Eliot Spizzirri had a real chance to stop Jannik Sinner from winning the Australian Open for a third straight time. But that 10-minute stoppage, even though it was necessary for player safety, ended up working against him.

After the match, social media quickly filled up with fans saying the heat rule saved Sinner. Spizzirri, though, had a more relaxed take on it. “I don’t know if he got saved by it,” he said. “I smiled a little bit when the heat rule went into effect just because it was kind of a funny timing as I went up 3-1.”

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Interestingly, this wasn’t the first time Sinner has dealt with heat-related issues; Sinner’s endurance has come into question before. Last year in Shanghai, he joined a spate of players who struggled with the intense heat and humidity and was ultimately forced to retire mid match.

And at last year’s Australian Open, Sinner again struggled under the scorching heat in his fourth round win over Holger Rune

The Australian Open, meanwhile, has been tightening its approach to player safety for years. Even back in 2023, outdoor matches were stopped at 4:50 pm local time because of extreme conditions. The good news, however, is that while extreme heat is still part of the Australian Open, the way tennis deals with it has clearly changed.

Along with early starts and the heat stress scale that measures wind, sun intensity and humidity, players are also granted breaks when the HSS starts climbing.

But will it be enough for players like Sinner who are highly sensitive to the heat? We will soon find out as the tournament progresses.