Landaluce: "It is one of the toughest defeats of my career"

Pedro de Pablos | 30 May 2026 | 22.37

Landaluce: "It's one of the toughest defeats of my career"

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Martín Landaluce has come close to another epic victory at Roland Garros 2026, but he ended up being eliminated by Juan Manuel Cerúndolo in the third round after nearly 6 hours of battle. After the match, the Spanish tennis player appeared at a press conference to discuss the game and all the positive aspects he takes from this great tournament.

Because indeed, it can now be said that 2026 is marking a before and an after in Landaluce's career. Not only has he broken into the top 100, not only has he won for the first time in a Grand Slam, but he has also made significant strides with two quarterfinals in Masters 1000 and a third-round appearance at Roland Garros 2026, bringing him closer to the ATP top 50. Therefore, despite the pain of losing such a tough match, Martín has stated that he draws many positive aspects from this week.

Landaluce talks about the lessons learned from Roland Garros

Many things. I think the most important thing is that I have the fitness to stay on the court for as long as I need. I can play for 6, 7, 8 hours without any issues, without problems. I am ready to compete in these types of tournaments. This has given me a lot of confidence, a lot of strength for the upcoming Grand Slams, for my entire career. I believe I can be very powerful. I can play for almost 6 hours at the same level. That is the most important thing I have learned this week.

Areas to improve

Of course, many things. In these matches, I made some mistakes, normal mistakes. I know I need to improve at certain moments. Today, for example, I could have done things differently, but I think, above all, my intention was correct. I played my match, I hit good shots, good serves, and good returns. I was moving very well, so there are many things I can improve. There are many aspects to work on, so this is very positive. But I believe I proved to myself that I can be very steady, very solid in all matches, so I think that is more important than other things.

Contact with Jódar

Not in this tournament. Sometimes he sends me a message, we talk, but not in this one. Maybe he will send me something. I hope he watches some matches; it would be perfect for me. I try to learn as much as possible from him.

Is your playing style suitable for clay courts?

Yes, definitely. I think my game works on every surface; I am improving a lot. If you improve, if you work every day to be better on each surface and your game improves, you can be good in all aspects. I have nothing that I do not need to improve. I can improve in everything. I have great potential, and I will do well on clay.

Defeat to Cerúndolo after an epic match

Well, it's tough. It is one of the hardest defeats of my career in every sense. You have to spend a lot of time on the court, there are a lot of emotions... So many tiebreaks and they are decided by such small details. It's hard, but I am happy with how I worked in this tournament. I have shown myself some great things. In the end, I leave feeling fulfilled and satisfied with how I work and how I conduct myself on the court. I have many things to improve, many details that could have been different. With all the emotions and fatigue, there is always someone who is a little above, a little below. It seemed like I had better momentum, but well, it slipped away due to details.

Expectations for 2026 after coming close to the top 50

To continue adding, continuing to improve. What I have learned the most is how strong I can become, and I believe I have earned quite a bit of respect within the circuit. It is important for me that I have earned it myself. I still have the same confidence, but much more strength than before. And the intention is the same, to keep improving, keep learning. I believe these grass tournaments suit me very well to complement the game I am improving. Moreover, I enjoy it a lot. So, rankings don't matter much to me. I know my level, I know my potential.

Plans for the grass season

Before Wimbledon, I have several ATP events. We are considering which ones to enter. Maybe some qualifiers, or try to see if I can get a wildcard. After this great result and how physically demanding this tournament was, maybe I'll rest for a few days and we have to see which tournament to play, what opportunities I may have. But the intention is to play everything: ATPs 250 and 500. I am not sure in which weeks they fall. And then go to Wimbledon with the same or even more confidence than I entered Roland Garros with. Happy to be in the main draw and to know that I can do well in any tournament.

Regrets and highlights from Roland Garros

I am not very clear on regrets, I haven't thought about it much. The thing I take the most is that ability I have to always be there, to enjoy difficult moments, and to behave well on the court. Grateful to be here. I have enjoyed this tournament a lot, even with such tough matches. I have reversed situations that I believe few people can, because it's mentally challenging, and I have proved to myself that I can be very steady, that physically I can last however long is needed. I close out matches well, and that is what I take the most.

As for regrets, I am not very clear. Perhaps not having done more sightseeing in the days leading up, always being here with the family, and despite the hot weather, we stayed more at home. Regarding the matches, not much. You regret not hitting the balls you should have hit. When matches get tough, maybe serving a bit better or being a bit sharper. But I think that's tennis, and we shouldn't focus so much on those details, but look more at what I can do better.

What surprised you about the match against Cerúndolo

I had trained against him once, but had never played a match with him, and I knew I was facing a very good player. Right now, he is doing incredible things, he's just beaten Sinner, and he's a very complete player physically. I was surprised by how well he served today, hitting many aces, which is something he has improved greatly. It will benefit him a lot in the future. Additionally, he has a playing style that is not so common, which I have taken as a learning experience.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Landaluce: "Es una de las derrotas más duras de mi carrera"

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