Yesterday, we saw two of the most contrasting semi-finals we could possibly have had at the Italian Open, ending with a dramatic conclusion.
After all, following Casper Ruud’s quick dismantling of Luciano Darderi, it was Jannik Sinner’s turn to swiftly dispatch Daniil Medvedev.
And, after a quick first set for the world number one, that seemed very possible.
However, disaster soon struck for the heavy favourite, who first seemed to have fallen unwell, before he suffered what appeared to be cramps.
He faltered, and Medvedev capitalised, taking the second set amidst a cloud of frustration.
Why Daniil Medvedev complained about Jannik Sinner to the umpire
The Russian may have tied the match, but remained incensed over what he felt was preferential treatment for Sinner.
As such, Medvedev complained to the umpire about Sinner, arguing that it is not allowed to have medical time-outs for cramps.
Was Jannik Sinner wrong to call a medical time-out?
Daniil Medvedev wasn’t happy!
The Russian posed a question to the umpire: “When we call the physio for cramp, we don’t get fined?”
His frustration was echoed by Tim Henman and Jamie Murray on Sky Sports’ coverage, with the latter stating: “He is getting treated for cramp essentially, he’s getting his quads massaged. So, it happens a lot obviously, I don’t agree with it personally.”
Medvedev’s anger is completely justified, and this entire ordeal has proven why tennis needs to make a strict rule change to double down on its ruling.
Tennis needs to be stricter on players calling medical time-outs for cramps
The fact that it is tennis’ very own rule which is being so regularly flouted just undermines the entire competition, as they explicitly state that players cannot be treated by a physio for cramps.
And yet, even over the past few months, we have seen that happen in some huge moments.
Alexander Zverev complained about Carlos Alcaraz’s preferential treatment during their Australian Open semi-final, and this is not the first time Sinner has benefited from this failure to enforce rules either.
Whilst these are clearly the two best players in the world, it does feel somewhat curious that both were afforded liberties that helped them manage through a tough period in a crucial match.
After all, it’s completely unfair to their opponent, who has clearly dealt with the conditions better and maintained their physical condition.
How underrated is Casper Ruud?
He’s into another Masters 1000 final…
Tennis needs to start being far harsher with situations like this, if anything, just to maintain the integrity of the sport.
The more times that they appear to favour a big star who seems set to crash out due to cramps, the more people are going to argue that Roger Federer’s claim about Alcaraz and Sinner was right, expanding on his favouritism argument on a much larger and more disparaging scale.