PARIS — Jannik Sinner’s bid for a career Grand Slam wilted at the French Open in the second round on Thursday afternoon.
The world No. 1 entered the match with 30 straight wins but lost 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1 after succumbing to his kryptonite: heat. Sinner’s defeat, to Argentina’s world No. 56 Juan Manuel Cerúndolo, was a seismic shock, considering Sinner was four points from victory.
How it played out was entirely predictable.
From the start of the tournament, the biggest threat to Sinner appeared not to be any of the other 127 players in the draw, but the conditions.
Melbourne’s hot weather nearly helped to knock Sinner out of January’s Australian Open. In high temperatures and humidity at October’s Shanghai Masters, full-body cramps forced him to retire against Tallon Griekspoor, accounting for his last defeat at the ATP Masters 1000 level, the rung below the Grand Slams.
Unlike in Melbourne, when the Australian Open’s heat rule saw the roof close just as Sinner was on the brink, there was no reprieve in Paris. With temperatures at around 90 degrees and no shelter on Court Philippe-Chatrier, he was pushed to the point of near collapse.
The dramatic scenes felt impossible toward the end of the third set, when Sinner appeared to be in complete control. He led 6-3, 6-2, 5-2, and was serving for the match, but then suffered a spectacular collapse. A game away from victory, Sinner completely faded in the afternoon heat and lost 18 consecutive points.
Sinner was in such a bad way that he left the court for treatment when serving at 5-4 and down 40-0. Players are not allowed to receive treatment for cramps, which Sinner appeared to be suffering from, but he told the umpire that he was feeling dizzy and was allowed to exit Court Philippe-Chatrier and see a trainer.
He still looked dazed and unwell when he returned, and Cerúndolo was able to polish off the game and the next couple to reduce the deficit to two sets to one.
Sinner took a 10-minute break and tried to gain some respite. It did not arrive.
Jannik Sinner’s bid for the career Grand Slam ended despite being four points from victory. (Matthew Stockman / Getty Images)
Although he looked a bit sprightlier early on in the fourth, it quickly got away from him. Cerúndolo, keeping his focus extremely well in what could have been a frazzling situation, saved break points at 1-1 and 3-1, the last of which saw a debilitated Sinner give up on the rally midpoint. Cerúndolo’s excellent defence and ability to force Sinner to hit an extra ball were critical at this point in breaking the world No. 1’s resolve.
It was all making for uncomfortable viewing, with the all-conquering champion stripped of his power and reduced to a passenger. Sinner knew he had to rouse himself, but he couldn’t. Cerúndolo took the fourth set 6-1.
The decider took a similar pattern, with Sinner going for early kills but Cerúndolo able to absorb the power. Once they got into rallies, the Argentine refused to overhit or change direction, pinning Sinner into a test of endurance that he was never going to pass.
Cerúndolo raced to a 4-0 lead, and after saving break points to go up 5-1, it was clearly over. Sinner staggered his way through the last game, and just like that, the Grand Slam title that had felt inevitable was gone.
This leaves the 2026 French Open as the most open men’s draw at a Grand Slam for years. With two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz out, Sinner was an overwhelming favorite. Now, no one in the draw has won a major in the last two and a half years, and only Novak Djokovic has won one ever.
With temperatures only getting hotter and the French Open seemingly unprepared for this weather, Sinner knows he has a major problem as he looks to overcome what appears to be the only thing standing between him and an all-time great career. He has now suffered two devastating losses at the tournament in as many years, after losing from three championship points up against Alcaraz in last year’s epic.
Meanwhile, Cerúndolo can reflect on the biggest win of his career by far. He’ll face Spain’s Martin Landaluce or Vít Kopřiva of Czechia in the third round on Saturday.
