Sinner set for exhibition match in London heat wave ahead of Wimbledon

LONDON — Top-ranked Jannik Sinner is scheduled to play an exhibition match amid a heat wave on Wednesday, just under a month after the Italian star struggled with dizziness in a stunning second-round loss at the French Open.

Sinner is set to play in the Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic against Cameron Norrie with southern England under a “ red warning ” for extreme heat issued by Britain's national weather service.

The early afternoon temperature in Fulham, where the event is being held, is 33 C (91.4 F).

Sinner, the defending champion at Wimbledon, wore a cooling vest while practising earlier Wednesday at the All England Club.

In Paris, he was ahead by two sets and 5-1 in the third before losing to Juan Manuel Cerundolo 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1. The temperature on Court Philippe-Chatrier rose to 32 C (90 F) during the match, and Sinner was clearly having a tough time cooling himself down as he reached for multiple ice bags.

Sinner, who has a history of problems with heat and cramps, didn't blame the heat entirely after the loss. “I think many things together caused this problem. I just need my time now to process what went wrong here,” he said.

At the grass-court major a year ago, Sinner beat Carlos Alcaraz 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the final for his first Wimbledon title. Alcaraz will miss this year’s tournament because of a wrist injury.

The U.K.'s weather service said in its warning to “keep out of the sun and avoid any exercise between 11 am-3 pm when the sun is strongest.”

It said the region could see "a two to three-day period where maximum temperatures in the shade exceed 37 Celsius, perhaps rising to 38 to 40 Celsius in some places. The heat will be accompanied by high humidity, exacerbating the potential for discomfort and health impacts, with very warm and humid night times also reducing the ability for people to recover overnight.”

Wimbledon starts on Monday, when the temperature is expected to be 24 C (75 F).