"So Jannik Sinner’s opponent won’t have a day off" - Fans slam Italian Open over 'ridiculous' decision for Casper Ruud & Jaume Munar's clash

While all the other men's quarterfinal matchups at the 2025 Italian Open have been set up, Jannik Sinner's opponent is yet to be determined. This is because Casper Ruud and Jaume Munar were unable to begin their encounter on May 13, much to the annoyance of fans.

Heavy rain in Rome disrupted the proceedings at the Italian Open, with Daniil Medvedev and Lorenzo Musetti even having to suspend their clash on match point. As such, Sinner had to wait a few hours before taking the court for his fourth-round meeting with Francisco Cerundolo.

The duo engaged in a closely contested battle after they finally began their match, with the World No. 1 eventually claiming a 7-6(2), 6-3 victory in two hours and 16 minutes. Following Sinner's win, Peyton Stearns and Elina Svitolina arrived at Campo Centrale for their quarterfinal, with Casper Ruud and Jaume Munar's match set to follow.

However, Ruud and Munar's meeting was ultimately postponed to Wednesday, May 14, shortly after Svitolina and Stearns' encounter began. The decision to postpone was prompted by the ATP's rules that matches should not begin after 11:00 pm. The late call did not sit well with tennis fans.

Many fans argued that Jannik Sinner stood to gain the most from the decision, since his opponent wouldn't have a day of rest before their quarterfinal clash.

"So sinner’s opponent won’t have a day off. You can’t just make this up atp….ATP doing everything their establishment boy the title..They are not even trying to hide it anymore…," one fan posted.

"Does the winner of this match happen to play jannik sinner and therefore get virtually no rest," another fan wrote.

"This is OUTRAGEOUS preferential treatment. There needs to be investigation into the tournament director Paolo Lorenzi the FITP and Mr Gaudenzi. @ptpaplayers NEED to make a stance," a fan argued.

"Sinner's opponent being made to play tomorrow despite Pietrangeli and SuperTennis being available for hours earlier this evening? You don't say!" said another.

Several fans also questioned why Casper Ruud and Jaume Munar's clash wasn't moved to one of the free courts so it could be concluded on the same day, criticizing the organizers for the "ridiculous" decision.

"It's ridiculous that it wasn't moved to another court when they had a couple main ones free," one fan posted.

"Why postpone when there are plenty of open courts? Seems like that would be the fair way to do it, no?" another fan chimed in.

"Still baffled at why they couldn't have moved it to a different court today. It won't be on Centrale anyway tomorrow," a fan remarked.

"This tournament is ran by a bunch of morons. Crazy they waited this long to make this decision," said yet another.

Interestingly, Jannik Sinner will have an edge regardless of which player ends up as his quarterfinal opponent. The World No. 1 has won all three of his previous matches against Casper Ruud and holds 1-0 lead in his head-to-head record against Jaume Munar.

"Very happy that I can play at least one more match" - Jannik Sinner reveals plans for his day off before Italian Open QF

Jannik Sinner - Source: Getty

Competing in his first tournament back after his three-month doping suspension, Jannik Sinner disclosed that he was delighted to reach the quarterfinals of the 2025 Italian Open. Speaking in his post-match press conference, the Italian explained why he was glad that Francisco Cerundolo gave him such a tough challenge.

"Yeah, I mean, quarters, it's a great result, no? Coming back, I just tried to put myself in the best possible position to see what's happening. I mean, I'm glad that today were so many difficult situation. That's exactly what I need trying to find my rhythm again, trying to find my mental strength again and everything together," Jannik Sinner said.

Sinner also said that he planned to focus on his recovery on his day off before his quarterfinal clash in Rome.

"Yeah, was a great match today. Obviously very happy that I can play at least one more match. Let's see what's coming. Tomorrow is a day off, try to recover in the best possible way and hopefully be ready for the next one. For the first tournament, I'm very, very happy," he added.

If Jannik Sinner triumphs over Casper Ruud or Jaume Munar, he will face the winner of the match between Hubert Hurkacz and Tommy Paul in the semifinals of the ATP Masters 1000 event.