Roland Garros given ‘obvious’ solution to its intense heat problem after Jannik Sinner’s shock defeat
Jannik Sinner’s capitulation against Juan Manuel Cerundolo is undoubtedly the biggest story of Roland Garros so far and it’s left the tournament wide open.
The Italian was two sets and 5-1 up, before his exhaustian reared its ugly head yet again and he crumbled, along with his hopes of earning the Career Grand Slam.
The World No. 1 lost three sets back to back by a scoreline of 7-5, 6-1, 6-1, which ensured the Argentine pulled off the biggest victory of his career so far.
For Sinner, however, there are plenty of differing opinions on why he was unable to close the match out. The star has dealt with fatigue for much of the clay court swing, after playing every match possible from the Monte Carlo Masters.
More Jannik Sinner news
Jannik Sinner’s behaviour labelled ‘strange’ by tennis experts after French Open defeat
Sinner suffered scares against Andrey Rublev and Daniil Medvedev at the Italian Open, and it could have just been one match too long for the World No. 1.
Another opinion flying around suggests Sinner just could not deal with the heat, which has been a problem for him multiple times in recent years.
The star was nearly forced out of the Australian Open earlier this year at the hands of Eliot Spizzirri, before the heat rule came into effect and the roof was closed.
His time at the Shanghai Masters in 2025 was ended by cramping, partly due to the intense humidity at the Chinese Masters event.
Temperatures are hitting the mid-thirties in Paris and plenty of players have been unable to deal with the intensity of the French summer at Roland Garros.
It has become so unbearable that tennis legend Pam Shriver believes a new rule needs to be launched by the authorities.
Speaking on social media, the 22-time Grand Slam champion wrote: “About 30 years ago the WTA had an age eligibility commission to study what’s the right dose of pro tennis for 14-17 year old players.
“In 2026, we need an extreme heat commission in pro tennis. It’s obvious for the health and safety of players, ball kids, umpires, media, spectators.”
Sinner, however, does not believe his issues were down to the heat in Paris.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, he said: “Shanghai was very tough. Humidity very high. Australia was very very warm. It’s different when you play on hard court because the heat comes also underneath.
“Here it was warm, but it was okay. It was not like I was dying because of the heat. I think today was a completely different scenario. This can happen.
“It’s tough to accept of course because of the position I’ve been in and everything considered. Now I have a lot of time to recover. I most likely won’t play any tournaments on grass before. Now I need really some time off to recover completely, also mentally.”
Sinner will be back in action at Wimbledon at the end of June, where he is looking to defend his title.
