Sinner: "I don't remember the last time I felt so weak"

Fernando Murciego | 28 May 2026 | 17.12

Sinner: "I can't remember the last time I felt so weak." Source: Getty

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Almost impossible to access the press conference room at Roland Garros to listen to the last words of Jannik Sinner. With the microphone in front of him and maximum anticipation from the press, the Italian analyzed his bitter farewell from Paris.

It will be one of those defeats that we will always remember, although the intensity of the memory will grow or diminish depending on the role of Jannik Sinner in Roland Garros from now until the end of his career. In 2026, without Carlos Alcaraz, in his best opportunity to make the breakthrough and obtain the last Grand Slam missing from his collection, doubts arose, cramps, heat, and a tremendous opponent like Juan Manuel Cerúndolo. Everything went wrong for the world No. 1, who gained nothing from arriving in Paris having conquered all the major trophies on this tour.

Jannik Sinner explains the reasons for his defeat against Juan Manuel Cerúndolo

“Today, I didn't feel very well on the court, but it can happen. I was in a good position, also in the third set, but I couldn't close it with my serve. Then I had several issues, but yes, I also have to congratulate him. I don't want to take credit away, he played a very solid match, especially towards the end. That's how this sport is.”

Physical problems

“I started feeling very dizzy, very low energy. I tried to close the match with my serve, but I didn't have much energy. In the fourth set, I let myself go a little trying to save something for the fifth. The first game was very important, I couldn't hold the service, and then everything went downhill. This morning, I woke up and didn't feel very well. I tried to keep the points very short; at the beginning, I was hitting very cleanly, very well, and then I just hit a wall, that was all.”

When do the problems start?

“Midway through the third set, although I was playing great tennis, I saw that today I really couldn't find any energy. It was a tough situation, but this is sports. It was hot, but not extremely hot. I think I was quite fine to play; it really had nothing to do with the heat or the weather. It was just a personal thing, but these things happen.”

No clear reason to justify the defeat

“It's hard to say. I think, overall, many things came together. There's not a single reason. I played a lot, didn't have much time to recover, got here and the first match was really good, very solid, but you know, when you come back the next day, you don't have much time, although I finished late, but not excessively late. This morning, I felt like I hadn't slept well. When I woke up, I was a bit off, but you know, this can happen. Normally in Grand Slams, there are a couple of days where you don't feel perfect, and today was one of those days.”

Memories of past experiences of a similar nature

“Shanghai was very tough, there was a lot of humidity. Australia was very, very hot, I remember that well. It's different when you play on hard courts because the heat also comes from below. It was hot here, but it was fine, it wasn't like I was dying from the heat. I think today was a completely different scenario, but again, this can happen. It's hard to accept, of course, given the situation I was in and considering everything, but now I need a lot of time to recover. I probably won't play any grass tournaments before. Now, I really need some rest, full recovery, also mentally, and then come back ready for Wimbledon.”

Sinner assesses his clay court tour

“I always try to look at the positive side. If you look at the whole clay court season, it was very good. I played really well, winning three consecutive tournaments on clay. I got here, and based on how I was playing tennis, I felt very good. Hitting the ball well, moving well, but today just wasn't meant to be. I think many things together caused this issue, but again, it can happen. Now I need time to figure out what went wrong here and also take the positives to have good training weeks before Wimbledon. After Wimbledon, important tournaments come: Montreal, Toronto —I don't know which one is scheduled for this year—, Montreal, and Cincinnati, and then the US Open. There's still a lot to play for this year.”

Jannik Sinner gives an update on when he will compete again this summer. Source: Getty

Retirement was never an option

“I let myself go in the third set to recover physically, and in the fifth set, we all know that anything can happen, but yes, it was tough. I was in a difficult situation in the fourth and also in the fifth at some point. I really had no energy; I was completely empty, all over my body. I don't remember the last time I felt so weak, but well, that's how it is. I tried to keep going with everything I had today, but that was the maximum I could give. It's a shame because I was playing really well in the first sets and also in the third set, but that's sports.”

Regret for playing so many matches?

“If I didn't play Madrid or skipped Rome, maybe I would get here, and still have a day like this when you feel sick. Looking back is always very difficult; I won three tournaments on clay, they were incredible results. The streak I had was amazing; this was my main goal. Such an early elimination here wasn't what I was looking for, but you also don't know if things would have changed if perhaps I skipped Madrid and only played Rome, or if I skipped Rome and came here. You never know.”

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Sinner: “No recuerdo la última vez que me sentí tan débil”