Jannik Sinner apologizes to Miami Open opponent as | Sports News

Jannik Sinner issued a honest apology to Damir Dzumhur after his opponent was the subject of relentless heckling on the Miami Open.

The lopsided match was not with out its controversy, nevertheless, as a boisterous fan prompted repeated disruptions within the stands at Hard Rock Stadium. During a break within the second set, umpire Renaud Lichtenstein knowledgeable his supervisor that Dzumhur was “upset” with the fixed shouting.

“Damir is upset with the man with the inexperienced shirt and Jannik is telling me he is baiting on the back,” Lichtenstein stated, per The Tennis Letter. “I don’t know what we should do. Maybe we could talk to him to relax.” The supervisor confirmed that the situation was already being handled, replying: “We’ve got security on the way. So … I think he’s just an idiot.”

Upon putting the finishing touches on his Round of 64 win, Sinner apologized on behalf of the heckler while shaking hands with Dzumhur at the net. When asked what it personally meant for him to tie Djokovic’s longstanding record, the 24-year-old said: “The scoreboard matters at times.

“For me, I try to improve as a player. Trying to put myself in the position to play as many matches as possible. I always treat every opponent in the same way. Trying to improve on court, trying to do my best, having a great attitude, and trying to go for it. First-round matches are never easy. I’m very happy.”

This is hardly the first time that an unruly spectator has disrupted a match involving Sinner this month. During his fourth-round match at the Indian Wells Open, the Italian was forced to directly confront a heckler who began talking in the front row as he was serving in the first set against Joao Fonseca.

While facing a game point at 5-6, Sinner swiftly turned around and addressed the fan seated in the front row. Umpire Greg Allensworth promptly got down from his chair to assess the situation, asking: “Jannik, what’s going on?”

As different attendees rained down boos at Stadium 1, Allensworth added: “Yeah guys, if you could just not talk during the point, we’d appreciate it. For now, Jannik, come on. If there’s something else going on, let me know.” Cooler heads in the end prevailed, as Sinner responded: “It’s all good, I just had a small word.”

On the heels of the tense second, droves of viewers accused Olympic skier Nicholas Novak of inflicting the disturbance. The 30-year-old shortly rushed to shut down these rumors on social media, writing: “Public announcement, I was NOT heckling Sinner, it was the guy next to me. I promise! IM A SINNER! Let me SIN.”