All was going to plan for Jannik Sinner. He had won the first two sets of his second-round match against Juan Manuel Cerúndolo 6-3, 6-2. He appeared headed for the only Grand Slam crown he hadn't won: The French Open. That is when the heat began to greatly affect the ATP No. 1.
Sinner has been affected by heat before, including in the third round of the 2026 Australian Open and the Italian Open. Both times, he was able to battle through. As great a player as Sinner is, the heat does seem to affect him more than others. He needs to improve in that area to reach his full potential.
More shockingly, Cerúndolo was able to come back from 1-5 down in the third set. Sinner was even aided by a medical timeout that he shouldn't have been awarded. Injuries might allow for that. Cramping doesn't, and that appeared to be Sinner's issue.
Jannik Sinner shocked in the second round of the 2026 French Open
The Argentine even won 18 straight points at one point as Sinner, even after a couple of breaks, couldn't run in the 90-degree heat. Cerúndolo kept moving him side to side, and the miracle was that Sinner was able to win any games in the final two sets, as the Argentine bested him 6-1, 6-1.
The Italian's loss opens the proverbial door wide open for Alexander Zverev, arguably the best men's player to have never won a major. His best surface is clay, too. All players need a bit of luck from time to time, just as Sinner had during his Wimbledon title run last year, when he seemed on the verge of defeat to Grigor Dimitrov before the Bulgarian was injured.
Now that Jannik Sinner is out of the French Open, Carlos Alcaraz is not playing in the event due to a wrist injury. Zverev is the clear favorite. He could be challenged by another player trying to make the most of the opportunity.
Novak Djokovic hasn't won a major since 2023 (no men's player has won a Grand Slam other than Alcaraz or Sinner since the beginning of 2024), and could take major title number 25. Sinner's sudden absence, in fact, just made the men's side of the 2026 French Open a lot more interesting.
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