Jannik Sinner admitted he “hit the wall” as his extraordinary 30-match winning streak ended abruptly in the second round of the French Open, with the world No. 1 suffering a dramatic five-set loss at Roland Garros.
Seeded as the red-hot favourite in Paris, Sinner was undone by Argentina’s Juan Manuel Cerundolo after a sudden collapse on yet another scorching day in the French capital, handing the top seed an unexpected exit.
The Italian looked on course for victory, leading by two sets and racing to a commanding 5–1 advantage in the third, only for his level to fall away completely. He then lost the set 3–6 and the fourth 2–6, before edging the fifth set 7–5—only to be dominated again as Cerundolo closed it out 6–1, 6–1 to complete the turnaround.
Speaking after the match, Sinner said he had run out of energy and described feeling physically unwell. The four-time Grand Slam champion also raised concerns about dehydration and dizziness, saying he felt as if he might vomit.
During the match, Sinner left Court Philippe Chatrier to receive medical attention while he served for the contest. He returned minutes later, but Cerundolo sensed his opening and kept pressing against an opponent who was clearly struggling.
“I had no energy today. That can happen. Nobody is a robot,” said Sinner. “I struggled, starting to feel very dizzy. I was very, very flat—you know, the whole body. I don’t remember last time I felt this weak.
“I woke up this morning, didn’t feel very well and tried to keep the points very short. In the beginning I was hitting very clean, very good, and then I just kind of hit the wall.”
Sinner also explained that his fade began around the middle of the third set, as temperatures climbed again above 30°C during a heat wave that has broken records in France.
Despite the conditions, he refused to frame the defeat as simply a weather problem, insisting it was his own day rather than the atmosphere. His French Open departure was also his earliest at a Grand Slam since he lost in the same round here in 2023.
“It was warm, but not crazy warm,” Sinner said. “Really it was nothing against the heat, nothing against the weather. It was just me today, but it happens. I don’t want to take anything away from him (Cerundolo). He played a very solid match.”
Sinner arrived at Roland Garros after winning all three of the clay-court Masters titles, and his push toward a career Grand Slam had been boosted by the absence of injured rival Carlos Alcaraz.
Nevertheless, this defeat marked another painful stop in Paris for last year’s runner-up, who had held three championship points 12 months earlier before losing to Alcaraz.
“It’s tough to accept because of the position I’ve been in and everything considered, but yeah, now I have a lot of time to recover,” Sinner said. “I won’t play any tournament on grass before (Wimbledon). Now I need really some time off, recover completely, also mentally, and then be ready to go again.
“As I said, in the beginning of the year, this (the French Open) is my main goal here. A very early exit it was not what I was looking for.”
Cerundolo, who will face Martin Landaluce in the last 32, recorded only the third Grand Slam match victory of his career.
The Buenos Aires native did not hesitate as Sinner attempted to cling on, with Cerundolo converting when the top seed’s form dipped and delivering a monumental upset.
“It’s tough for him (Sinner). I think I was a little bit lucky,” Cerundolo said. “The match was almost lost.”
“I started to notice that something wasn’t good, because I mean, he was beating me pretty easy,” he added.
Cerundolo also stressed the importance of staying sharp through momentum shifts. “Tennis is about being in the present day and being better in that match. He’s number one in the world because he’s the best every day. (It) just happened this day. I was better this day.”
