Jannik Sinner, the top-ranked men's tennis player, was eliminated from the French Open on Thursday after a dramatic collapse in the second round against Argentina's Juan Manuel Cerundolo, ranked 56th. The Italian, who had been the overwhelming favourite to win the title, struggled with dizziness and exhaustion amid a Paris heatwave, ultimately losing 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1.
Sinner, 24, had entered the tournament on a 30-match winning streak dating back to February and was widely expected to complete a career Grand Slam by capturing the only major title missing from his collection. With two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz sidelined due to a wrist injury, the path seemed clear. But the heat proved an insurmountable obstacle.
Heat takes its toll
From the start, Sinner appeared uncomfortable. He bent over repeatedly on the clay court, struggled to run for shots, and resorted to drop shots and serve-and-volley tactics to shorten points. During changeovers, he used a hand-held fan and placed bags of ice around his neck. His light blue shirt was soaked through with sweat.
“I didn’t feel very well on court,” Sinner said afterward. “I struggled, starting to feel very dizzy, very low on energy.” He added that he had woken up feeling unwell on Thursday morning.
The temperature at the start of the match was 29°C and rose to 32°C. Sinner was quick to downplay the heat as the primary cause. “It was warm but not crazy warm,” he said. “I feel like it was quite OK to play. Really it was nothing against the heat, nothing against the weather. It was just me today, but it happens.”
Yet Sinner has a documented history of struggling in hot conditions. He admitted to being fortunate at the Australian Open in January when the roof was closed during a third-round match against Eliot Spizzirri, which swung in his favour. In October, he retired from a match in Shanghai played in extreme heat. On the same Philippe-Chatrier court last year, he wasted three match points against Alcaraz and lost an epic final.
Match turns on a dime
Sinner dominated the first two sets, winning 6-3 and 6-2, and led 5-1 in the third. Serving for the match at 5-4, 0-40, he suddenly bent over, walked to his chair, and requested medical assistance. He left the court and returned with minerals added to his drink, but he could not recover. Cerundolo took the third set 7-5, then swept the next two 6-1, 6-1.
Cerundolo, who had won only three games in the first two sets, showed little celebration. “It’s tough for him,” he said. “I couldn’t win more than three games by set. So I think I was a little bit lucky. He was deserving to win in this match. But then I don’t know what happened. I feel sorry for him and hope he recovers.”
Sinner’s last loss came on 19 February in the Qatar Open quarterfinals. Since then, he had won five consecutive Masters titles, hardly dropping a set. The defeat marks one of the most stunning upsets in recent Grand Slam history, though it was driven by physical rather than competitive factors.
The French Open continues in Paris, with the men's draw now wide open. For Sinner, the focus will shift to recovery and preparation for the grass-court season, where he will aim to defend his Wimbledon title. The incident also raises questions about player safety in extreme heat, a topic that has gained urgency as climate change intensifies summer temperatures across Europe.
