British tennis star Dan Evans brutally mocked Jannik Sinner after the Italian required medical treatment during their China Open clash. Evans was beaten by Sinner in three sets but the main talking point of the match came in the closing stages of the contest.
Early in the deciding set, Sinner fell while trying to return an Evans serve. He appeared to be hurt after the incident.
The 22-year-old clutched his thigh and later called for the physio. However, Evans was unimpressed by the break and clearly did not believe that his opponent was badly injured.
During a changeover later in the set, Evans mimicked a limp and clutched his right thigh. The 33-year-old appeared to be mocking Sinner’s injury, turning round to the crowd while laughing.
Footage of the clip was shared on social media, splitting opinions among fans. Some felt that Sinner was clearly hurt, criticising Evans for a lack of respect. Others suggested that the joke was funny.
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Sinner eventually overcame the Brit, who is ranked 40th in the world. He won the first set 6-4 but Evans struck back, winning the second set on a tie-breaker.
Evans then seemingly grew frustrated with Sinner’s injury problem early in the final set. Sinner, the No 6 seed, has struggled with his fitness in a frustrating end to a season that started so well.
But the World No 7 battled back from his setback and overcame Evans 6-4 6-7 6-3. He advances to the second round, where he will face Yoshihito Nishioka.
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Should he go all the way, Sinner could end up with a feisty semi-final against Wimbledon winner Carlos Alcaraz. Previous matches between the pair have been enthralling and well-contested, although Sinner insists there is no rivalry between him and Alcaraz.
“At the moment, it’s tough to talk about this rivalry, because he’s won so many things,” he said.
“I think, at the moment, he’s still a better player. He has shown this. He was No. 1 in the world already a couple of times. At the moment, the biggest rivalry is him and Novak [Djokovic]. But every time we play against [each other], it’s a really good match. I think we both show the best out of ourselves.”
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