Sinner Gets Past Rune at Australian Open in Match with Net, Medical Delays

Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 20, 2025 Italy's Jannik Sinner shakes hands with Denmark's Holger Rune after winning his fourth round match REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas
Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 20, 2025 Italy's Jannik Sinner shakes hands with Denmark's Holger Rune after winning his fourth round match REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas
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Sinner Gets Past Rune at Australian Open in Match with Net, Medical Delays

Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 20, 2025 Italy's Jannik Sinner shakes hands with Denmark's Holger Rune after winning his fourth round match REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas
Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 20, 2025 Italy's Jannik Sinner shakes hands with Denmark's Holger Rune after winning his fourth round match REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas

First came the medical timeouts, one each for Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune with the temperature above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius) at the Australian Open. Then came the unusual sight of a 20-minute delay because the net at Rod Laver Arena detached from the court after being hit by a big Sinner serve.
In the end, Sinner put his physical struggles aside and emerged with the victory — as he keeps doing, no matter the site or the circumstances — and the defending champion moved into the quarterfinals at Melbourne Park on Monday by eliminating the 13th-seeded Rune 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.
The No. 1-ranked Sinner occasionally tried to cool off by pressing a cold towel to his face or pouring water down the back of his neck, The Associated Press reported. He was far better down the stretch, both after a 10-minute-plus delay in the third set when he went to the locker room for medical attention and after a 20-minute holdup in the fourth when the screw connecting the net to the blue playing surface came undone.
“I knew in my mind ... I would struggle today,” Sinner said during his on-court interview, without saying what was wrong. "Me and the doctor, we talked a little bit. It helped me."
He has won 18 consecutive tour-level matches, dating to late 2024. Last season, Sinner went 73-6 with eight titles, the first man with that many tournament championships in a single year since Andy Murray in 2016.
That haul included Sinner’s first two Grand Slam trophies, at the Australian Open in January and the US Open in September, the latter shortly after he was exonerated for testing positive for an anabolic steroid twice in March. His case is still unresolved, though, with a hearing scheduled for April in the World Anti-Doping Agency’s appeal of the ruling.
Rune, a 21-year-old from Denmark, was trying to get to the quarterfinals in Melbourne for the first time.
Sinner will face No. 8 Alex de Minaur of Australia or unseeded Alex Michelsen of the US for a berth in the semifinals. A second Italian joined Sinner in the quarterfinals when 55th-ranked Lorenzo Sonego got that far at a major tournament for the first time by ending the run of American qualifier Learner Tien 6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1. Sonego will now face No. 21 Ben Shelton of the U.S. or Gael Monfils of France.



Luka Modric Signs with AC Milan After 13 Seasons at Real Madrid

 Luka Modric, AC Milan's new signing, arrives at the Madonnina clinic for medical examinations in Milan, Monday, July 14, 2025. (Claudio Furlan/LaPresse via AP)
Luka Modric, AC Milan's new signing, arrives at the Madonnina clinic for medical examinations in Milan, Monday, July 14, 2025. (Claudio Furlan/LaPresse via AP)
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Luka Modric Signs with AC Milan After 13 Seasons at Real Madrid

 Luka Modric, AC Milan's new signing, arrives at the Madonnina clinic for medical examinations in Milan, Monday, July 14, 2025. (Claudio Furlan/LaPresse via AP)
Luka Modric, AC Milan's new signing, arrives at the Madonnina clinic for medical examinations in Milan, Monday, July 14, 2025. (Claudio Furlan/LaPresse via AP)

At age 39, Luka Modric is going to try and help restore seven-time European champion AC Milan to glory after one of the most disappointing Rossoneri seasons in recent memory.

The 2018 Ballon d'Or winner signed a one-year contract with Milan on Monday after saying goodbye to Real Madrid following 13 highly successful seasons in Spain. The deal includes an option for another season.

Modric grew up supporting Milan because his idol and fellow Croat, Zvonimir Boban, played for the club in the 1990s.

Modric announced in May that he was leaving Madrid after helping the Spanish powerhouse to 28 titles: Six European Cups, six Club World Cups, five European Super Cups, four Spanish leagues, two Copas del Rey and five Spanish Super Cups.

Milan finished eighth in Serie A last season and missed out on a spot in Europe.

The Italian club rehired Massimiliano Allegri as coach after the season, replacing the fired Sergio Conceicao.

Allegri won the Italian league for the first time with Milan in 2011, then guided Juventus to five straight titles from 2015-19.

Allegri reportedly called former Madrid and Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti to ask about Modric's form. Then new Milan sporting director Igli Tare traveled to Croatia's training camp last month to seal the deal with Modric.

The deal was made before the Club World Cup but Modric couldn't join his new club until he finished playing for Madrid at the tournament in the United States.

Madrid was beaten 4-0 by Paris Saint-Germain in the semifinals in Modric's final match with the club.