World No. 1 Jannik Sinner exits Roland Garros in second round, citing dizziness and exhaustion in five-set loss to Cerúndolo

Jannik Sinner arrived at Roland Garros as perhaps the heaviest favorite since Rafael Nadal dominated the clay-court Grand Slam, according to the Associated Press. He had won five consecutive Masters 1000 titles — three on clay — compiled a 30-match winning streak, and faced a draw without his principal rival, Carlos Alcaraz, who was sidelined with a wrist injury. Sportsbooks had listed Sinner at around -300 to win the tournament.

The match unfolded as expected through two sets. Sinner won them 6-3 and 6-2 and built a 5-1 lead in the third, reaching the point of serving for the match. At 0-40 in that service game, he bent over on the clay, had a discussion with the umpire, and left the court for medical treatment. He was unable to recover: Cerúndolo won the last six games of the third set and took the fourth and fifth sets 6-1 and 6-1, with Sinner losing 18 of the final 20 games.

Sinner said afterward that he had not felt well when he woke Thursday morning and described hitting "a wall" during the match. "I struggled, starting to feel very dizzy, very low on energy. I don't remember last time I felt this weak," he said, per the AP. He attempted to shorten points with drop shots and serve-and-volley tactics, used a hand-held fan on changeovers, and placed ice bags around his neck. The AP reported the court temperature rose from 29°C (84°F) at the start of the match to 32°C (90°F). Sinner said he did not attribute the collapse to the conditions, stating, "It was warm but not crazy warm. It was just me today." He added that his team would "do some tests to be sure of what happened."