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Despite being the heavy favorite to win the French Open, Jannik Sinner crashed out of the tennis major after a stunning meltdown in the Parisian heat.
The absence of injured rival Carlos Alcaraz, last year’s champion, appeared to clear the path for Sinner, the world’s top-ranked men’s player who’s on a winning streak, to take his first title at Roland Garros.
But the betting markets appear not to have priced in what is increasingly proving to be a fierce opponent: extreme heat.
With the temperature on court rising to 90 F, Sinner lost his second-round tie against unseeded Juan Manuel Cerundolo of Argentina — despite being just one game away from winning in straight sets.
Sinner, who admitted struggling with dizziness and cramps, also suffered at the sweltering Australian Open in January, before heat rules came to his rescue.
After Thursday’s shock defeat, Sinner played down the impact of the heatwave that’s battering vast swaths of Europe, claiming it was “warm but not crazy warm.”
“Really it was nothing against the heat, nothing against the weather. It was just me today, but it happens,” Sinner told reporters.
The Athletic has more on Sinner’s suffering in the sun.
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