French Open Shock as Jannik Sinner Exits in Second Round
The French Open remains the only Grand Slam title missing from four-time major winner Jannik Sinner's achievements.
Sinner was eliminated from the tournament in a major upset after struggling with injury during a five-set defeat to Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the second round amid sweltering conditions in Paris.
As the world number one, Sinner entered the tournament as the strongest favourite for the men's title since Rafael Nadal in 2009, with no recent challenger matching his clay court form.
The 24-year-old Italian was aiming to complete a career Grand Slam at Roland Garros, and few anticipated his early exit. However, like Nadal's unexpected departure 17 years ago, Sinner will now have to await another opportunity to claim Paris glory.
Sinner held a commanding lead, winning the first two sets and leading 5-1 in the third, before a dramatic shift in momentum occurred due to fitness problems.
He appeared visibly fatigued on court, wearing a dejected expression as he lost the subsequent three games, including 11 consecutive points, before requesting medical assistance.
Sinner was heard saying he felt "dizzy" and like he "wanted to vomit" and took a mid-game medical timeout before returning to play.
Despite returning to the court, Sinner was unable to recover his physical condition, and Cerundolo, ranked world number 56 from Argentina, secured a 3-6 2-6 7-5 6-1 6-1 victory.
This outcome is a deeply disappointing exit for Sinner, whose status as favourite was further solidified by the absence of defending champion and rival Carlos Alcaraz due to injury.
With 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic also approaching the twilight of his career, physical fitness was anticipated to be a key challenge for Sinner's pursuit of the title.
The tournament has experienced unusually high temperatures, exceeding 34°C, conditions under which Sinner has previously struggled.
Prior to this event, Sinner was on a 30-match winning streak, having claimed five consecutive Masters 1000 titles over the past three months on both hard and clay courts.
He suffered severe cramping in nearly 40°C heat during this year's Australian Open and acknowledged he "got lucky" when the heat rule was applied in his third-round match against Eliot Spizzirri in Melbourne.
After opening his campaign against Clement Tabur on Tuesday in a cooler night session, Sinner was the first player on court against Cerundolo, a rare scheduling decision by Roland Garros organisers.
The last time a men's number one player opened play on Court Philippe Chatrier before the semi-finals was a decade ago, when Novak Djokovic defeated Tomas Berdych in the quarter-finals.
Although the early start initially seemed to benefit Sinner, the physical difficulties that had affected his previous matches in extreme heat reemerged.
