The heat in the first week of the 2026 French Open affected the tournament. Jannik Sinner literally wilted in his second-round match and was bounced out. The 90-degree temperatures caused Casper Ruud to say he felt like a zombie.
What tennis fans most certainly want is for the outcome of matches to be determined by how well each player is performing. Had Sinner been outright beaten by Juan Manuel Cerundolo, that would have been fine. Instead, after jumping out to an early lead and just one game to go before moving into the third round, the top seed was defeated by the heat.
He offered no real excuses, and he shouldn't have. After all, Cerundolo had to play in the same conditions and did well enough to move forward. Still, a reason existed for the Italian's defeat despite Cerundolo's uptick in form.
The second week of the 2026 French Open should have few to no weather issues
The good part is that the second week of Roland Garros will be easier on the players, which should translate to excellent matches where players are able to compete in top form. The second week, of course, is the most important one. The quarterfinals will give way to the semis and then the finals.
Instead of the 90s, most of the week will be played in the upper 60s, according to the Weather Channel. Monday will be 80, but it will still feel cooler than last week. The temperatures are back in the mid-70s by next weekend, but that is just north of perfect for high-end tennis matches.
On Tuesday, when the quarterfinals are being played, rain and thunder are expected. On Thursday, rain is also expected, but that will be during the women's semifinals, and neither Tuesday nor Thursday should be an issue.
The French Open has two stadiums, the main court of Court Philippe-Chatrier and also Court Suzanne-Lenglen, with roofs. This means the matches should go on without precipitation issues and no heat concerns either.
Despite what happened in the first week at Roland Garros, the outcome of the matches in the second week of the 2026 French Open should be determined by what truly matters: How well the players are doing. Not whether they can survive the heat.
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