ATP Tour

Will an experience with Federer help Spizzirri against Sinner at Australian Open?

Saturday will be a day of firsts for Eliot Spizzirri at the Australian Open.

First third-round match at a major. First clash against a Top-10 opponent. First time competing inside Rod Laver Arena.

But the most important first is that this will be his first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting against two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner.

“It would be an awesome experience,” Spizzirri said in his press conference before Sinner had advanced. “Going against one of the best players in the world and one of the toughest challengers in our sport. I would be grateful to be out there and do the best I can.”

This will be a new experience for the American, especially considering the stakes. But Spizzirri is not totally unfamiliar with such a big stage.

For much of his teens, Spizzirri would travel from Connecticut to New York three or four times per week to train at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, home of the US Open. He mostly trained indoors there, but Arthur Ashe Stadium, the largest tennis-specific stadium in the world, was always looming.

“You feel kind of like an ant in that environment, because there are so many seats and so many people looking at you,” Spizzirri told ATPTour.com. “I’ve only been in Ashe when it’s been pretty empty. It would be really fun to be in that environment in Laver if that is the case. I’ve played on some big courts and hopefully they’ve prepared me as much as possible for a moment like this.”

The 24-year-old, who was a college star at the University of Texas, has played competitively in Louis Armstrong Stadium, the second stadium at the US Open. That court has a capacity close to the nearly 15,000 fans Rod Laver Arena holds. However, it will be far more packed and electric with Sinner on the other side of the net.

“I’m just trying to enjoy the moment on those courts,” Spizzirri said. “That’s what you work for, you train for and you live for.”

Although practice is far different from a match, Spizzirri has faced pressure inside a big venue. As a junior in 2019, he trained with Roger Federer inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. Patrick Hirscht, Spizzirri’s coach since age 12 who still works with him at Solaris Racquet Club in Connecticut when he is home, remembers the moment well.

“The thing I remember most about it was just the sheer size when you first walk in and you start hitting and you’re like, ‘Wow’. You feel small out there,” Hirscht said. “But also how after five or six minutes, you sort of don’t even notice it anymore. The second thing was just how inviting and normal Roger was and how open he was to Eliot and just he didn’t seem like a superstar. I thought that was really cool and it really lessened the pressure of being out there. It felt like, 'Hey, let’s just have a hit'. It was nice, it was special.”

The difference is that Sinner, unlike Federer, will be looking to do everything in his power to dismiss Spizzirri from the court as quickly as possible.

“We started to have a few conversations about it. I think first thing’s first is to be excited about it, because it is cool and when you’re a kid, you dream about these moments,” Hirscht said. “When you get them and you get in them, I think the first hurdle is to not forget you’ve always wanted that. It’s always been something you’re looking forward to. Be excited about it, because it’s very easy to be nervous and overwhelmed for something like that, which I’m sure he still will be a little bit anyway because everyone would be.

“But be excited about it, try to enjoy it and try to instil what we’re trying to do on the court out there because regardless who’s on the other side, try to do what we’re trying to get better at and give it a go.”

Spizzirri is in Melbourne with his traveling coach, Christopher Williams, who explained that even though World No. 2 Sinner will be on the other side of the net, the attention will not solely be on the Italian.

“There is always an awareness of our opponent’s game style and tendencies, but our preparation is usually pretty ‘Eliot focused’,&rdquo. Williams said. “We know the things we do well and when we execute them we compete to win at the highest level. With a match like the third round here, I’m paying a bit more attention to the stage and making sure we are comfortable in the Rod Laver environment so we can be at our best.”

Sinner said of Spizzirri: "Of course, I watched him play in the past couple of matches he played. Very aggressive, talented player. So let's see what's coming."

Spizzirri is known by his colleagues as a tough out who is up for a battle on court. The No. 71 player in the PIF ATP Live Rankings showed that in his second-round match against Wu Yibing, with their encounter lasting five sets. He will hope to put up another big fight against Sinner.

“That’s all I really can do. There’s not much more you can do than go out there and give your best effort,” Spizzirri said. “It’ll be a great test to see where my game is at and give it my best shot. Win or lose, we’re going to learn from it, go back to the drawing board and try to get better.”