Overwhelming favourite Jannik Sinner is out of the French Open in the second round after struggling with dizziness amid the Paris heatwave and losing to 56th-ranked Juan Manuel Cerundolo 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 said when he woke up on Thursday he “didn’t feel very well.”
Sinner was on a 30-match winning streak stretching back to February and he was widely expected to complete a career Grand Slam by taking the only big title missing in his tennis career, especially with two-time reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz out due to an injured wrist.
Sinner bent over on the clay court in apparent exhaustion multiple times and was hardly even running for shots as the match wore on, resorting to drop shots and serve-and-volley tactics to try and shorten the points.
He attempted to cool himself with a hand-held fan on changeovers and put bags of ice around his neck.
The temperature at the start of the match was 29C and rose to 32C.
“It was warm but not crazy warm,” Sinner said. “I feel like it was quite OK to play. Really it was nothing against the heat, nothing against the weather. It was just me today, but it happens.”
Cerundolo didn’t celebrate too much when it was over, just producing a little wave to the crowd.
“It’s tough for him,” Cerundolo said. “I couldn’t win more than three games by set. So I think I was a little bit lucky. He was deserving to win in this match. But then I don’t know what happened. I feel sorry for him and hope he recovers.”
Sinner led by two sets and 5-1. When he served for the match a second time at 5-4, 0-40, he bent over and then walked to his chair. He asked for assistance and left the court. His entire light blue outfit was soaked through with sweat.
After losing the set 7-5, Sinner received medical attention and left the court. Minerals were added to his drink when he returned but Sinner wasn’t able to recuperate.
Sinner last lost on 19 February in the Qatar Open quarterfinals. He had won five straight Masters titles and hardly dropped a set.
But he has a history of struggling in the heat. He admitted he was lucky at the Australian Open in January against Eliot Spizzirri when the roof was closed and the third-round match swung his way.
Sinner had to retire from a match in Shanghai in October that was contested amid extreme heat.
On the same court last year, Sinner wasted three match points against Alcaraz and lost an epic final.
Additional sources • AP
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