‘I don’t buy that’ – Andre Agassi’s Jannik Sinner criticism rejected ahead of Novak Djokovic clash at Wimbledon
Greg Rusedski has launched a staunch defence of Jannik Sinner’s pre-match preparation and conditioning ahead of his Wimbledon semi-final with Novak Djokovic.
The tell-tale signs that Sinner struggles in the heat have been plain to see over the past year, including at Shanghai in 2025 and at the 2026 Australian Open.
That came to a head once again in dramatic fashion at last month’s French Open, when the No 1 seed and overwhelming favourite suffered a physical collapse, before losing in five sets to Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the second round. That led to strong criticism from eight-time major winner Andre Agassi, who highlighted a “flaw” in his working practises.
He said at a scorching Roland Garros, “But to go from him playing five-and-a-half hours last year in the finals and then having the heat tap him out in an hour and 45, there’s a difference between being fit and being prepared.
“I have to point at a flaw in that kind of preparation because there’s something you can do about that. It’s not that the dude doesn’t work hard. It’s not that he’s not fit. He was one game away and the whole draw opened up. We all thought we’d see him not even lose a set.”
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Sinner has since done a number of medical checks and tried to make sure something like this never happens again. But with temperatures exceeding 30C this week at Wimbledon, the 24-year-old may still be vulnerable.
Ahead of his blockbuster semi-final with seven-time champion Djokovic, former British No 1 Rusedski has defended Sinner and said that his coaches Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi, among others, have been around the block enough to leave no stone unturned on this matter.
He said on the latest episode of Off Court, “He’s done all the testing, he’s done everything he can. Agassi complained about his preparation, well sometimes genetically people are different.
“You are not telling me that one of the greatest coaches alive, Darren Cahill and his staff, haven’t gone and tried to do everything they can with diet, food, recovery, you name it. I don’t buy that with him.
“There’s that nervousness but once he gets over the hump… tomorrow (Friday) we will get the answer to a lot of our questions.”
Rusedski did concede that as this has happened on multiple occasions for Sinner over the past 12 months, the top seed may be a bit “nervous” about it rearing its ugly head again on Centre Court.
He added that Sinner’s Australian Open semi-final loss to Djokovic in January will have “stung big time” and he will look to gain some revenge on Friday afternoon.
Rusedski, who backed the Italian to come out on top, said, “The good news for Djokovic, which is probably better news for Sinner, is they’re second on [court]. If you’re Jannik Sinner, you’re hoping ‘Play for four or five hours so I can kick off around 6.30-7pm in the night and they can close the roof, please, so I don’t have to think about the heat’.
“If the first match goes quickly and it is in the heat of the day, then Sinner has a worry. He hasn’t looked comfortable in the hot conditions, he’s still a little bit nervous about what happened in Paris and that is kind of Djokovic’s hope but I don’t think Djokovic will recover in time, I hope I am wrong.”
Arthur Fery will lock horns with Alexander Zverev in the first semi-final from 1.30pm, before the Sinner-Djokovic battle begins.
READ MORE: Brad Gilbert questions Jannik Sinner form ahead of Novak Djokovic Wimbledon semi-final
