JANNIK SINNER consoled Hugo Gaston as the Frenchman was forced to retire from their Australian Open round one clash.
The leftie, 25, struggled with a wrist issue following a heavy fall.
Trailing 6-2 6-1 after just 68 minutes, Gaston decided to end the match.
The world No93 was in clear distress, with Sinner placing his hand on Gaston’s arm as he wept in his chair.
As Gaston walked off Rod Laver Arena, reigning Australian Open Sinner led the applause.
The injury appeared to occur after Gaston chased down a drop shot.
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Sinner has been looking to incorporate the shot more since being soundly beaten by Carlos Alcaraz in last year’s US Open final.
After getting to the short ball, Gaston appeared to buckle before falling over.
Sinner rushed over to him to see if he was okay.
And while Gaston initially gave a thumbs up, ultimately he would not finish the match.
After the contest, Sinner said on court: “I saw he was not serving with high pace, especially in the second set.
“It’s not the way you want to win the match. He is a talented player.
“He has incredible touch, moving very so I knew from the beginning that I had to play a very high level tennis, trying to be as aggressive as possible, which I’ve done so I’m very happy.
“I’m very happy to be back here. It’s a very special place for me.”
The win was Sinner’s 15th straight at Melbourne Park, having lifted the trophy in 2024 and 2025.
His next opponent will be Aussie home hopeful James Duckworth, who rallied from two sets to one down to beat Croatian youngster Dino Prizmic.
Sinner is looking to become just the second man in the open era to win the Australian Open three straight times.
The other male player to achieve that feat is 10-time Melbourne Park champion Novak Djokovic.
Sinner’s great rival Alcaraz is yet to win the Australian Open, or even go beyond the quarter-finals.
Should Alcaraz win this year’s tournament, he will become the youngest man to ever complete the career grand slam.
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