Jannik Sinner, not just retreat in Paris: social admissions scare fans

Jannik Sinner, who collapsed at Roland Garros just one game away from victory over Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the tournament’s second round, may not be out of the Paris Slam alone. In fact, a few hours after the unexpected knockout, he returned to the matter on Instagram admitting that the situation may now lead him to take a somewhat longer break from tennis after the very long string of victories that had marked his 2026 so far.

“Today was not my day,” Sinner admitted on his official Instagram account. We’ve had an incredible year so far, but now I need some rest. Thank you all for your amazing support and congratulations to Juan Manuel Cerundolo who had a great game. See you soon. Au revoir, Paris.”

The final score tells all the drama of what happened on the Philippe Chatrier: 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1 in favor of the Argentine. Sinner had dominated the first two sets with full authority, even leading 5-1 in the third set, only to suffer a devastating physical collapse that rendered him virtually immobile on the court in the last three sets. At 5-4 in the third set, with Cerundolo at 0-40, the world number one had already asked for the physiotherapist’s intervention, confessing, “I don’t feel good, I feel that I need to vomit.” This defeat halts to 30 the extraordinary series of consecutive victories of the South Tyrolean, who had arrived in Paris after winning the first five Masters 1000s of the year, an all-time record in tennis history.

Also weighing on the outcome of the match was the weather context: a Météo-France warning for extreme temperatures was active over Paris, with the French capital and several departments under observation for the heat wave. With a perceived temperature of 36 degrees on center court, the risks of dehydration, heat stroke, nausea, and exhaustion unfortunately materialized right on Sinner’s body at the worst time.

In the press conference, the South Tyrolean tried to shed light on what happened, admitting his difficulties without looking for alibis: “In the middle of the third set I couldn’t find any energy anymore, I didn’t feel very good on the court. It was hot but not terribly hot. This is sports, and it can happen. It is hard to accept, considering my position. But now there is time to recover.” Sinner went on to stress that recovery will have to be mostly mental: “I need to recover mentally as well,” he said, adding that he will still undergo medical tests in the coming days. The stated goal remains Wimbledon: “Hopefully we will be ready, we need to recover. I couldn’t pull myself out, I had no energy today. No one is a robot or made to never make mistakes.”

Great sportsmanship from the winner: Juan Manuel Cerundolo showed respect and even sorrow for his opponent at the end of the match. “I had not won more than three games in a set, I was a bit lucky, I feel sorry for Jannik. He deserves to win so many Slams, I don’t know what happened to him, whether it was cramps or what. I hope he can recover quickly,” said the Argentine, who in the third round will face the winner of the match between Landaluce and Kopriva.

The day was not without controversy. A member of Cerundolo’s technical staff was captured on camera openly gesturing in the stands during Sinner’s exit from the court, protesting against the chair judge’s decision: the man made the clock sign, then mimicked the gesture of sleeping with his hands clasped under his face, then laughed sarcastically, sparking anger among Italian fans on social media. Also in the crosshairs was Jim Courier, who during his commentary openly criticized the referee: “It’s clearly cramps. The rules are not the same for top players. Aurelie Tourte and the FFT will have to give explanations for what happened, to take a player out is beyond the limits of fairness.” Partially defending the work of the organizers, however, was Paolo Bertolucci, a former Italian tennis player and Sky commentator, who while describing himself as bitter replied to those who criticized the time of the match, set at noon: “Besides today he should have played other matches in the afternoon. The organization could not? Yes it could, it’s everyone’s turn.” Bertolucci also dismissed criticism of Sinner’s schedule: “He had nine days to recover from the tournament in Rome.”