A camera operator at the Australian Open suffered an unfortunate blunder moments before Jannik Sinner opened his title defence with a straight-sets victory over Nicolas Jarry.
The reigning champion was made to work hard but eventually managed to get the job done, securing a 7-6 7-6 6-1 triumph. He will face Aussie wildcard Tristan Schoolkate, who beat Taro Daniel earlier on Monday, in the next round.
Moments before Sinner walked onto the court at the Rod Laver Arena, a camera operator inadvertently stole the show by falling over in front of the crowd.
He was walking backwards in front of Jarry to capture him entering the arena, but got his bearings all wrong and tripped up over his own feet.
The visual feed cut out almost instantly, with the crowd letting out a collective gasp as the broadcast switched to a different camera angle.
Fortunately for the camera operator, the embarrassing incident was quickly forgotten about with Sinner’s victory over Jarry taking centre stage.
Sinner struggled to get going, being taken to a tiebreak in the first two sets but prevailing on each occasion. The final set was more straightforward for the Italian, who will have high hopes of going all the way in Melbourne once again.
Speaking after the match, he said: “I’m very happy to be back. Thank you so much for coming. The atmosphere was amazing. I think today was a very close one.
“He’s an incredible player. Huge potential. I’m happy with how I handled a tough situation in the first couple of sets. Happy to be in the next round.”
Sinner was also asked about the next generation of tennis stars that he inspires and had some words of advice for them, but he also admitted that he was lucky to hit the big time.
“You need also a bit of luck,” he said. “I have to say I was lucky to have the right people at the right time. You have to enjoy the tough moments. They will always come up. Just try to put a smile on your face.
“I work hard. Family and the close people in your life always come first. That’s my advice to you. I wish every young kid the best of luck.”
Only time will tell if Sinner will win the Australian Open for the second year in a row, with the 23-year-old currently the slight favourite ahead of Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic.
