Jannik Sinner’s bid for a maiden French Open title and career Grand Slam went up in smoke as he experienced physical issues in his second-round match against Juan Manuel Cerundolo and fell to a 3-6 2-6 7-5 6-1 6-1 defeat on a scorching Thursday (May 28, 2026).
Sinner arrived in Paris as the favourite for the title having lifted claycourt titles in Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome, with his main rival and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz ruled out with injury and Novak Djokovic searching for his best form.
But Cerundolo tore up the script in a dramatic clash where he held his nerve even as last year’s runner-up Sinner crumbled while on the verge of a big win, sending shockwaves through Roland Garros.
Italy’s Jannik Sinner reacts during his second round match against Argentina’s Juan Manuel Cerundolo
| Photo Credit:
Reuters
As the temperature climbed over the 30 degrees Celsius mark for the first time in the afternoon, Sinner had already breezed through the first set on the back of a solitary break, and the 24-year-old Italian looked to be in cruise mode.
Cerundolo offered resistance towards the end of the second set, but the 56th-ranked Argentine was left with a mountain to climb after Sinner unleashed a huge forehand winner to double his lead in the match for the loss of only five games.
The four-times Grand Slam champion cooled off with an ice towel in the break and turned up the intensity on his unseeded opponent in the third set to go 5-1 ahead, before he began to struggle and halted play when serving at 5-4.
Sinner returned from an off-court medical timeout five minutes later and was immediately broken for 5-5, and dropped the next two games to hand the set to his Argentine opponent, who sensed the chance to pull off a major upset.
Still not at his best, Sinner surrendered the fourth set tamely and was broken early in the decider, as Cerundolo took full advantage to leave the Grand Slam without its title favourite.
Sinner cites fatigue, eyes rest before Wimbledon
Jannik Sinner said his lack of energy in a stunning French Open loss was down to a combination of factors including a long claycourt swing, during which he played and won three successive events to arrive as the favourite in Paris.
Sinner, who was targeting a maiden French Open title and career Grand Slam in the absence of his injured rival Carlos Alcaraz, was hampered by illness for a 3-6 2-6 7-5 6-1 6-1 second-round defeat by Juan Manuel Cerundolo.
After titles in Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome, and a comfortable victory in his Paris opener, Sinner fell flat on Court Philippe Chatrier.
“In general, many things came together… I played a lot and I didn’t have a lot of time to recover,” Sinner said in a packed press conference room.
“I came here, first match, really good, really solid… even though I finished late, but not crazy late.
“This morning I didn’t sleep well. When I woke up, I was struggling a bit, but this can happen. Usually in Grand Slams you have a couple of days where you don’t feel perfect.
“That was today.”
While heat and humidity have often tripped up Sinner during big events, the world number one, who hails from northern Italy’s South Tyrol, said he was at ease in Paris despite the mercury going past 30 degrees Celsius.
“Shanghai (in October) was very tough. The humidity was high,” Sinner said about his retirement in the Chinese city.
“Australia was very warm (this year), I remember. It’s different when you play on hardcourts, because the heat also comes from underneath,” Sinner explained.
“Here, it was warm, but it was okay. It wasn’t like I was dying because of the heat. Today, it was a completely different scenario, but this can happen.
“It’s tough to accept, of course, because of the position I’ve been in and everything considered, but now I have a lot of time to recover.”
Sinner said he would consider skipping grasscourt tune-up tournaments before his title defence begins at Wimbledon, where the main draw gets underway on June 29.
“I won’t play any tournament on grass before (Wimbledon), most likely,” he added.
“I need really some time off to recover completely, also mentally, and then be ready to go again.”
Published – May 28, 2026 07:29 pm IST