A spectator was escorted off the court by security personnel for approaching world No. 2 tennis player Jannik Sinner during the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh. Following his impressive 6-2, 6-3 win against Stefanos Tsitsipas in the first match, Sinner was met by a young fan who seemed to be requesting his jacket after the game.
There was a brief exchange between the two before security intervened and removed the fan. While Sinner was packing up, sports presenters Prakash Amritraj, Feliciano Lopez, and Laura Robson analyzed his performance in the background.
The fan approached Sinner, shook his hand, and repeatedly gestured towards his jacket. Although their conversation was not caught on microphones, the four-time Major winner seemed puzzled as the fan tapped his jacket and then pointed to himself.
A security guard quickly intervened, taking the fan away from Sinner so the tennis player could leave the court. Sinner had just returned to the court after withdrawing from the recent Shanghai Masters due to the harsh weather conditions.
The 24-year-old, who was defending his title in Shanghai, was one of several players who struggled with the extreme heat. During his third-round match against Tallon Griekspoor, the 2024 champion had to retire due to severe cramps.
Upon arriving in Riyadh to defend his title at the Six Kings Slam, Sinner mentioned, “The cramps in Shanghai? I think they were due to a mental factor. I talked with my team – from that point of view, I wasn’t perfect, but now everything’s fine. The mistake was mine, the heat and humidity got me down. You learn from these things – cramps can happen, and I was one of many to suffer from them.”
However, Sinner quickly recovered at the Six Kings Slam, defeating Tsitsipas to secure a spot in the semi-finals where he will face Novak Djokovic. The world No. 2 later shared, “Of course, we know each other now a little bit better, played already many times. With time, we become better players and know each other’s game a little bit more so I knew a little bit tactically how to prepare for the match. But generally I just tried to stay quite aggressive, especially on the return games. I felt like I was serving very well in the important moments. This is a very interesting situation we have to deal with here on the court because it’s quite bouncy.”