Will an experience with Federer help Spizzirri against Sinner at the Australian Open? | ATP tour | Tennis

ATP tour

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

ATPTour.com speaks to Spizzirri and his coaches ahead of his biggest match yet
January 23, 2026

Saturday will be a day full 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 in Rod Laver Arena.

But most importantly, this will be his first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting against two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner.

“It would be a great experience,” Spizzirri said at his press conference before Sinner had emerged. “Against one of the best players in the world and one of the toughest challengers in our sport. I would be grateful to be there and give my best.”

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

For much of his teenage years, Spizzirri traveled from Connecticut to New York three or four times a week to train at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, home of the U.S. Open. There he trained mainly indoors, but the Arthur Ashe Stadium, the largest tennis-specific stadium in the world, was always lurking.

“You feel a bit 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 to Ashe when it was quite empty. It would be really nice to be in that environment in Laver if that’s the case. I’ve played some big courses and hopefully they’ve prepared me as best they can for a time like this.”

The 24-year-old, a college star at the University of Texas, has been playing competitively at Louis Armstrong Stadium, the second stadium at the US Open. That field has a capacity close to the nearly 15,000 fans that Rod Laver Arena has. However, it will be much busier and more exciting with Sinner on the other side of the net.

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

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

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

Roger Federer and Eliot Spizzirri ” style=”width:100%;” src=”https://www.atptour.com/-/media/images/news/2024/08/26/21/13/federer-spizzirri-us-open.jpg”>

The difference is that Sinner, unlike Federer, will do everything he can to get Spizzirri off the court as quickly as possible.

“We started having some conversations about it. I think at first you have to be excited about it because it’s cool and as a kid you dream about these moments,” Hirscht said. “When you get them and you get into them, I think the first hurdle is to remember that you’ve always wanted that. It’s always been something you look forward to. Be excited about it because it’s very easy to be nervous and overwhelmed about something like that, and I’m sure he still would be a little bit anyway because anyone would be.”

“But be excited about it, try to enjoy it and try to show what we’re trying to do on the field because no matter who’s on the other side, try to do what we want to get better at and give it a try.”

Spizzirri is in Melbourne with his traveling coach, Christopher Williams, who explained that even though world number 2 Sinner is on the other side of the net, the attention will not be solely on the Italian.

“There is always an awareness of our opponent’s playing style and tendencies, but our preparation is usually quite ‘Eliot-focused’,” Williams said. “We know what we are good at and when we execute them, we compete to win at the highest level. With a race like round three here, I’m paying a little more attention to the podium and making sure we’re comfortable in the Rod Laver environment so we can be at our best.

Sinner said of Spizzirri: “Of course I’ve seen him play in the last few games he’s played. Very aggressive, talented player. So let’s see what’s coming.”

Spizzirri is known among his colleagues as a tough player who is ready for battle on the field. 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 have another big fight against Sinner.

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