Tennis rule-makers have been urged to rethink an \u201cexploitable\u201d rule amidst Jannik Sinner\u2019s tight clash with Daniil Medvedev at the Italian Open.<\/p>\n
For the second match in a row, Sinner<\/a> was struggling physically as he sought a record-extending 33rd straight victory at Masters 1000 level.<\/p>\n While the 24-year-old comfortably saw off Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals, Medvedev<\/a> was a much tougher nut to crack on Friday night.<\/p>\n Indeed, in the third set, when Sinner was a break up at 3-2, the Italian received a medical timeout. The Russian then remonstrated with chair umpire Aurelie Tourte, arguing that his opponent should not receive treatment for what appeared to be cramps.<\/p>\n Under ATP<\/a> Rules, players are not allowed treatment for cramping as it is not deemed to be an injury, rather it is a conditioning issue. Now, tennis content creator Gill Gross has weighed in on the matter.<\/p>\n ATP Tour News<\/p>\n Italian Open: Jannik Sinner forced into \u2018first ever sacrifice\u2019 against Daniil Medvedev<\/a><\/p>\n Jannik Sinner criticised for making a \u2018bizarre\u2019 mistake against Daniil Medvedev in Rome<\/a><\/p>\n Want more from Tennis365? Add us as\u00a0a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a>\u00a0for tennis coverage you can trust.<\/p>\n After breaking Medvedev\u2019s serve in a thrilling\u00a0Italian Open<\/a> semi-final encounter, the physio was seen rubbing both of Sinner\u2019s quads, while he drank pickle juice \u2013 which is known to help with cramps.<\/p>\n A similar situation played out at the Australian Open<\/a> between Carlos Alcaraz<\/a> and Alexander Zverev earlier this year in their semi-final.<\/p>\n The former received treatment in the third set when it seemed he was cramping, something Zverev took umbrage with<\/a> in his five-set defeat.<\/p>\n Now that this has happened again, Gross believes this ATP rule should be scrapped as it is so hard to know deem what is and isn\u2019t cramping.<\/p>\n While he understood Medvedev\u2019s protests, it\u2019s a loophole that players continue to exploit as the officials are left in a difficult judgement situation.<\/p>\n