Jannik Sinner has been scheduled to play his second-round match at the French Open during the hottest part of the day, as the world No. 1 aims to extend his winning streak to 31 matches. The Italian will face Argentina's Juan Manuel Cerundolo at noon local time on Court Philippe-Chatrier, with temperatures forecast to reach at least 30 degrees Celsius.
Sinner's History with Heat
The top seed has previously struggled in hot conditions. His last Masters-level defeat came when he retired from the Shanghai Masters due to severe leg cramps amid extreme heat and humidity. During this year's Australian Open, Sinner suffered cramps as temperatures hit 36 degrees before the tournament's extreme heat rule was enforced, allowing him to recover and win in four sets.
Sinner played his first-round match in the cooler night session on Tuesday evening. However, the night session on Thursday will feature Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech against former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini.
Tournament Scheduling Concerns
Players at Roland Garros are experiencing a record heatwave. Novak Djokovic was given the opening night session on Sunday but was scheduled for a daytime second-round match against Frenchman Valentin Royer. Speaking on TNT Sports, former French Open champion Jim Courier emphasised the need for fairness in scheduling.
"It definitely adds another layer of intrigue," Courier said before Djokovic's match. "I would expect Novak and Jannik to both go night, day, night in their first three matches should they keep winning. I think that's sensible for a sense of fairness. It's so extreme, but I think everyone should have to deal with the elements at least once. But it's a real thing, Novak does not like playing in the heat, Jannik has also struggled in the heat."
Order of Play for Day Five
- Court Philippe-Chatrier (11:00 BST): Jannik Sinner (ITA) vs Juan Manuel Cerundolo (ARG); Ann Li (USA) vs Diane Parry (FRA); Aryna Sabalenka (1) vs Elsa Jacquemot (FRA); Night session (not before 7:15pm): Arthur Rinderknech (FRA) vs Matteo Berrettini (ITA)
- Court Suzanne-Lenglen (10:00 BST): Adolfo Daniel Vallejo (PAR) vs Moise Kouame (FRA); Julia Grabher (AUT) vs Amanda Anisimova (USA); Coco Gauff (USA) vs Mayar Sherif (EGY); Raphael Collignon (BEL) vs Ben Shelton (USA)
- Court Simonne-Mathieu (10:00 BST): Donna Vekic (CRO) vs Naomi Osaka (JPN); Francisco Cerundolo (ARG) vs Hugo Gaston (FRA); Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) vs Roman Andres Burruchaga (ARG); Victoria Mboko (CAN) vs Katerina Siniakova (CZE)
- Other notable matches: Iva Jovic (USA) vs Emma Navarro (USA); Hubert Hurkacz (POL) vs Frances Tiafoe (USA); Antonia Ruzic (CRO) vs Madison Keys (USA); Matteo Arnaldi (ITA) vs Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE); Flavio Cobolli (ITA) vs Yibing Wu (CHN); Diana Shnaider vs Mccartney Kessler (USA); Maria Sakkari (GRE) vs Claire Liu (USA); Luca Van Assche (FRA) vs Brandon Nakashima (USA); Katie Boulter (GBR) vs Anastasia Potapova (AUT)
