Top Seed Jannik Sinner Exits French Open in Second Round Amid Heat‑Related Discomfort

Overwhelming favourite Jannik Sinner was eliminated from the French Open in the second round after struggling with dizziness during the Paris heatwave. He fell to 56th‑ranked Juan Manuel Cerúndolo 3‑6, 2‑6, 7‑5, 6‑1, 6‑1 on Thursday.

“I didn’t feel very well on court,” Sinner said. “I struggled, starting to feel very dizzy, very low on energy.”

Sinner described waking up that morning feeling unwell.

The 30‑match winning streak that began in February had he become the first player to hold a career Grand Slam by capturing the French Open, especially with two‑time reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz sidelined by a wrist injury.

During the match Sinner repeatedly bent over in apparent exhaustion, rarely moving to chase shots and relying on drop‑shots and serve‑and‑volley tactics to shorten rallies.

He tried to cool himself with a handheld fan between points and wrapped bags of ice around his neck.

The temperature at the start of the match was 29 °C and rose to 32 °C.

“It was warm but not crazy warm,” Sinner said. “I felt like it was quite OK to play. Nothing about the heat or weather, just me. It just happened.”

Cerúndolo offered little celebration, instead waving to the crowd.

“It’s tough for him,” Cerúndolo said. “I couldn’t hold more than three games in a set. I guess I was lucky. He was deserving to win in this match, but I don’t know what happened. I feel sorry for him and hope he recovers.”

Sinner held a two‑set advantage and was leading 5‑1 when he served for the match again at 5‑4, 0‑40. He then bent over, walked to his chair, requested assistance, and left the court. His light‑blue outfit was soaked with sweat.

After losing the set 7‑5, Sinner received medical attention and left the court. Minerals were added to his drink upon his return, but he was unable to regain his earlier level of play.

He last lost a match on February 19 at the Qatar Open quarterfinals. Since then he has won five straight Masters titles and rarely dropped a set.

Sinner has a history of heat‑related challenges, noting that he was lucky to win his match against Eliot Spizzieri at the Australian Open when the roof was closed, and he retired from a match in Shanghai in October due to extreme heat.

On the same court last year, Sinner squandered three match points against Alcaraz and lost an epic final.

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