Nobody expected this: Jannik Sinner was eliminated from the French Open in round two. He also failed because of his own body – and not for the first time.
It was just a move that the cameras captured on this once again scorching hot lunchtime on the Court Philippe Chatrier. A few minutes earlier, Jannik Sinner, the world number one and big favorite for the title at the French Open, had managed the second break in the third set against Juan-Manuel Cerundolo, who had been playing bravely but had no chance up until then. At this point he was leading 6:3, 6:2 and 4:1, everything looked like a routine victory in three sets. Sinner pressed on his thigh, massaging it lightly. Nobody in the audience had any idea that one of the biggest Grand Slam surprises in recent tennis history could happen on this very hot Thursday. He held his serve to make it 5-1 and was only four points away from a routine victory.
However, when the Argentine won the next 18 points in a row and played his way back into the set and the match, it became clear: something extraordinary was happening here. A completely exhausted Jannik Sinner could no longer keep up or set any accents, Cerundolo took over the match. About 90 minutes later it was clear: Sinner was eliminated in the second round at Roland Garros.
It wasn’t foreseeable for a long, long time that Sinner would have problems. The organizers had given him the first match of the day on the Court Philippe Chatrier. He escaped the highest temperatures that day. Sinner didn’t want to use the heat as an excuse for his defeat: “It was warm, but it was okay. It wasn’t like I died on the pitch.”
In the Italian part of the press conference he added that he was not a robot and that no one is free from failure.
Sinner: “I already fought this morning”
Sinner’s physical problems during long matches or unusual weather conditions in recent years are noticeable. In the humidity of Shanghai last year he had to retire against Tallon Griekspoor due to cramps. At the Australian Open in January, only the rules that stipulated that the roof of the Rod Laver Arena had to be closed in the event of excessive heat saved him. Every tennis fan knows the statistic that he has never won a match that lasted longer than four hours.
The problems had already become apparent in the past few days, Sinner said: “There are always a few days in Grand Slams when you don’t feel so well. I had a solid first match that didn’t end too late, but then the next day you don’t have as much time for recovery. I didn’t sleep well last night, I was already fighting this morning.”
The Grand Slams were a disappointment for Sinner this year
The South Tyrolean is still in one of the most dominant phases of men’s tennis seen in recent decades, comparable to Roger Federer’s 2006, Rafael Nadal’s 2010 or Novak Djokovic’s 2015. He confidently won the three major titles of this clay court season in Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome, and he has been undefeated in Masters tournaments since the indoor tournament in Paris last November. However, the two Grand Slams of 2026 so far have ended in two big disappointments for him. In Melbourne he lost to an outstanding Novak Djokovic, now losing to Cerundolo.
He hasn’t been suspected of any tennis exploits in his career so far. Before Thursday lunchtime he had played twice against top 10 players and had lost twice, including against Sinner at Wimbledon 2023. The 24-year-old plays an unorthodox-looking left-handed style of tennis with a lot of spin, but no outstanding strengths. In recent years, it was his older brother Francisco who made the sporting headlines. On Thursday, the younger Cerundolo impressed with his strong nerves and fearless game. He didn’t allow himself to be disturbed and never played hastily. Later he said: “I’m super happy with my match. Of course it was almost lost, but I stayed very strong mentally. I was lucky that he got cramps and his level went down, but I got stronger and stronger.”
And he noticed before anyone else that his opponent was struggling: “I saw at 3-0 in the third set that he wanted to shorten the points. He played with more risk. Why should he change his tactics if he didn’t have to? He was clearly leading?”
French Open, 3rd round – without numbers one and two
After Carlos Alcaraz’s withdrawal due to injury and Sinner’s defeat, the tournament is more open than ever before. For the first time since 2000, neither the No. 1 nor the No. 2 in the world rankings are in the third round of the French Open. Only Novak Djokovic from the remaining field enjoyed a Grand Slam victory. The most recent nine Grand Slams have been won by either Sinner or Alcaraz.
Alexander Zverev, Novak Djokovic, Casper Ruud, Felix Auger-Aliassime: There will be various players who see a chance of winning the French Open after today. The next ten days should be incredibly entertaining.
