Francisco Cerundolo brutally honest about Jannik Sinner

“I didn”t know what to do”: Francisco Cerundolo in an interview with Tennis365 on the sidelines of the UTS event in London spoke about Jannik Sinner and what it&#8217s like to be feeling to challenge the four-time Slam winner in his current moment of form. The Argentinean had managed to beat the Azzurro in 2023, at the Rome Masters 1000, and he is impressed by how the South Tyrolean has managed to grow since then, reaching incredible levels: “In 2023 he was No. 5 or 6 in the world, now he is No. 1 or 2, and the difference this year has been felt&#8221, explained Cerundolo, who has faced and lost twice to Sinner this season.

Martino Davidi

“He had no shortcomings, no weaknesses. I played against him in Rome this year’and it was a close challenge. It was his first tournament after returning from disqualification and I had a little more time to think on the court and try to create something. Then I played against him in Paris indoor, on a concrete court, and he was unbeatable. I felt I was playing well, but I lost the first set 7-5 and then 6-1. I felt I was playing well, and I ended up winning only one game in that set. He is basically always there, his serve is unbelievable, his response is unbelievable, not to mention the baseline points”.

“He hits the ball hard and you have no time to think, I didn&#8217t know what to do in Paris. He has improved a lot. Two years ago maybe physically he was not at the top and if you were playing long games and playing long points, sometimes he would have moments of emptiness. Now he doesn’t miss anything anymore. What strategy could beat him? I haven&#8217t beaten him, so I have no idea. I just have to train for next season and try to be ready. To beat him and Carlos Alcaraz I have to play perfect and they have to play a little bit’ bad”. On the same wavelength had been Casper Ruud a few days ago: “You can argue all you want about the different eras, but the fact is that Sinner and Alcaraz hit the ball with more speed than the ‘Big 3′”

“Nadal for example always played full court on the forehand, but he had more strength on the backhand and now we have Carlos and Jannik… no shot is weaker for them. It doesn…t matter if it…s the backhand or the forehand, they remain great. Also, they move really well. They move great. Jannik for example has gone to the next level with his movement, you see him sliding all over the court and defending any point, and the same with Alcaraz. They both defend like Djokovic. When you try to put them on the defensive in one shot they go back to the’attack. It&#8217s impressive and even a little bit’annoying to see how good they have become”.