Jannik Sinner, the world number one and title favourite, dramatically succumbed to the Paris heat as his hopes of a first French Open title ended in a stunning second-round defeat. The Italian looked to be cruising to victory over Argentinian Juan Manuel Cerundolo, leading two sets and 5-1, before his tolerance for the conditions evaporated within sight of the finish line.
Sinner won only two more games in a 3-6 2-6 7-5 6-1 6-1 loss that blows the men's tournament at Roland Garros wide open. With 39-year-old Novak Djokovic now the only remaining player to have claimed a grand slam title, this defeat also ensures that, for the first time since Djokovic's US Open win in 2023, a major crown will be claimed by someone other than Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz.
From 5-1 in the third set and potentially a minute away from the locker room, Sinner sensationally lost 18 points in a row to trail 0-40 serving for the match a second time at 5-4. He sat on the advertising hoardings at the side of the court for several seconds, prompting umpire Aurelie Tourte to come down from her chair and enter a discussion with the world number one. Sinner was attended to by medical staff and was allowed to leave court after saying he felt sick to have his condition assessed and blood pressure taken before returning and losing three more games and the set.
It is unusual for players in such scenarios to leave the court, with heat-related cramp deemed a loss of condition for which a medical timeout cannot be received. Sinner did not take a timeout, but the assessment took several minutes. Former British number one Tim Henman said on TNT Sports: "The umpire shouldn't be getting off her chair. It's not her responsibility, that's the player's responsibility. I don't see why he should get the benefit of going into an air-conditioned room."
Sinner then took a permitted break to change his clothes at the end of the set and appeared in slightly better shape, but his movement around the court was still extremely laboured, and Cerundolo cruised through the fourth set. Sinner tried to recover, blowing a fan onto his face and drinking from what appeared to be a can of cola, but there was no way back.
The world number one went into the tournament as the biggest favourite here since Rafael Nadal, having not lost a match since February, winning 30 in a row, and with big rival Alcaraz sidelined through injury. However, the pale-skinned Italian's vulnerability in the heat is well known, and the unseasonal Paris heatwave looked to be potentially his toughest opponent. The 24-year-old was saved by the Australian Open's heat policy in the third round this January after cramping against Eliot Spizzirri just before the threshold was reached for play to be suspended and the roof closed. But there was no chance of such an occurrence here, with conditions not severe enough for Roland Garros' policy to come into play.
Sinner, who only needs this title to complete his career Grand Slam, had played at night in his first match but here was scheduled first on Court Philippe Chatrier at midday, with temperatures again soaring over 30C and increasing as the contest went on. He took an aggressive approach from the start, trying to avoid long rallies against seasoned clay-courter Cerundolo, but he could not prevent the Argentinian claiming the result of his life.
The heat has taken its toll on other players, with Casper Ruud saying he felt like a "zombie" during his first-round match, while Czech Jakub Mensik collapsed at the end of a five-set battle on Wednesday.
