Jannik Sinner lost to Juan Manuel Cerundolo, 6-3, 6-2, 5-7, 1-6, 1-6, in the second round of the French Open.
A game away from victory and a spot in the third round, disaster struck for the world number one.
Sinner began to struggle physically, and a medical time-out couldn’t help him avoid an all-time French Open upset.
Where does Jannik Sinner’s defeat to Juan Manuel Cerundolo rank among the most shocking results in tennis history?
During his post-match press conference, Sinner was asked if he regretted playing so much tennis heading into the tournament.
Jannik Sinner isn’t sure if he made a mistake playing the Madrid Open and Italian Open before Roland Garros
“You don’t know,” said Sinner.
“I mean, if I don’t play Madrid or if I don’t play Rome, maybe I come here, and I still have a day like this where you feel sick.
Matches Jannik Sinner has played on clay this year (19)
| Month(s) | Tournament | Performance | Match wins | Defeat |
| April | Monte Carlo Masters | Champion | 5 (Ugo Humbert, Tomas Machac, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz) | – |
| April/May | Madrid Open | Champion | 6 (Benjamin Bonzi, Elmer Moller, Cameron Norrie, Rafael Jodar, Arthur Fils, Alexander Zverev) | – |
| May | Italian Open | Champion | 6 (Sebastian Ofner, Alexei Popyrin, Andrea Pellegrino, Andrey Rublev, Daniil Medvedev, Casper Ruud) | – |
| May | French Open | Second round | 1 (Clement Tabur) | Juan Manuel Cerundolo |
“So looking back, it’s always very tough.
“I won three tournaments on clay. Incredible results. It’s an amazing streak I’ve had.
“Of course, in the beginning of the year, this is my main goal, [to win] here.
“A very early exit was not what I was looking for, but you also don’t know if things would have changed if I would maybe skip Madrid and play only Rome, or maybe skipping Rome and come here.
“You never know.”
When Sinner won the Monte Carlo Masters, most fans expected him to skip Madrid.
Then, when Sinner won the Madrid Open, some expected him to miss Rome.
But the Italian kept on playing and kept on winning, taking home all three clay-court Masters 1000 titles.
Winning 17 matches in 40 days, Sinner became the youngest player to complete the Career Golden Masters.
Jannik Sinner’s Masters 1000 wins
- Indian Wells – 2026
- Miami Open – 2024, 2026
- Monte Carlo Masters – 2026
- Madrid Open – 2026
- Italian Open – 2026
- Canadian Open – 2023
- Cincinnati Open – 2024
- Shanghai Masters – 2024
- Paris Masters – 2025
He made history on clay this year, but in doing so, may have sabotaged his chance to win his maiden French Open title.
Had Sinner enjoyed a week of rest on clay this year, instead of playing all three Masters 1000 tournaments, perhaps he would have had the energy required to beat Cerundolo.
Unfortunately for Sinner, he will never know, and will now have to wait another year before he can challenge for the Roland Garros title.
Was this Jannik Sinner’s best chance to win Roland Garros?
Sinner is still young and will have plenty of opportunities to win the French Open.
But you can’t help but feel this title was his to win.
His greatest rival and the two-time defending champion, Carlos Alcaraz, withdrew due to injury.
Sinner’s other main rival, Daniil Medvedev, lost in the first round.
And the three-time champion, Novak Djokovic, is 39 and hasn’t exactly made the perfect start to his campaign, dropping a set in each of his first two matches.
The Italian was the biggest favourite to win a Grand Slam tournament since Rafael Nadal at the 2009 French Open.
But just as Nadal was stunned by Robin Soderling 17 years ago, Sinner fell to a lower-ranked player in the early rounds.
Sinner will undoubtedly return with a point to prove in 2027, hoping he can finally get his hands on the title and complete his Career Grand Slam.
