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Aryna Sabalenka has given her verdict after Jannik Sinner suffered a surprise early exit at the French Open.

Sinner had been a heavy favourite for the tournament following the injury withdrawal of Carlos Alcaraz but the Italian was defeated by both Juan Manuel Cerundolo and the Parisian heat in the second round.

Watching on as the men’s top seed exited was the women’s top seed Sabalenka who gave her reaction to Sinner’s early departure.

“I felt really bad for him,” she said. “I always cheer Jannik on, and seeing him suffer like that was quite painful.

“I was confident he was going to win, right down to the last ball, and I expected him to. I wasn’t thinking at all about my schedule or when I was going to play: if my match started later, that was fine. I was just worried he wouldn’t be able to close out the match.

“What happened to him is sad, but I’m convinced he’ll come back even stronger. Now it’s time, I suppose, to do some recovery, get some rest, and be ready for the grass court season. It’s a shame to see him leave the tournament so early.”

Sinner put the loss down to feeling unwell, saying his head was “spinning” as the match went on.

“During the third set, I started well, but then I began to struggle. Congratulations to him because he deserved it. His game was solid, and that’s sport.

“I felt unwell, my head was spinning, and I had no more energy. Nothing was coming out. I tried to serve for the match, but I didn’t have much left. I let the fourth set go, then the first game of the fifth was tough, I couldn’t hold on anymore, and everything started going downhill.

“I felt it this morning. I didn’t sleep very well and was already struggling a bit when I woke up.”

 

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Sinner was not the only male player Sabalenka commented on as she passed judgment on teenage sensation Moise Kouame.

Sabalenka revealed she had spent some time with the 17-year-old who was playing “at an incredibly high level of tennis.”

“He’s 17, right? That’s great,” she said. “I was cheering him on too. I had the chance to chat with him for a few minutes since we’re staying at the same hotel, and we did an activity together, so we were able to talk. He’s a really nice guy. I wish him all the best, and I hope he can have his breakout moment in this tournament.

“He’s been playing at an incredibly high level of tennis. I was really cheering him on during the super tiebreak, so happy he closed it out.”

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For the first time in three months, Jannik Sinner is trying to recover after suffering a defeat.

His shock defeat to Juan Manuel Cerundolo at Roland Garros was his first since a February loss to Jakub Mensik at the Qatar Open.

The Italian had won the Sunshine Double, Monte Carlo Masters, Madrid Open, and the Italian Open before crashing out of the second round of Roland Garros.

The star is not set to play a tournament until Wimbledon now, which gives him over a month until he is set to play a competitive tennis match.

In a new interview, Toni Nadal has outlined how he would try to help Sinner through his Roland Garros setback if he was his coach.

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“It’s a painful defeat, but he didn’t lose a final as a favorite: he went out in the second round in a very strange match. Now he just has to absorb the blow and digest it,” said the Spaniard.

“He has a great team; if I were his coach, I’d let him take a few days off and then get back to training. I’d prepare for Wimbledon, which is another big goal for him. The important thing is that the disappointment doesn’t linger.

“No tournaments before London? If he’s made this decision, it means he thinks it’s the best possible decision for him, so it’s definitely a smart one. He’s coming off some very tough weeks and months, with a huge expenditure of energy, and he feels the need for a mental break.”

Sinner might not be in action for a month now, but his latest actions away from the court have reportedly been unveiled.

The Italian has reportedly headed home to get tests to get to the bottom of the fatigue issues which plighted him at this year’s Roland Garros.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Sinner has reportedly booked himself a medical room at JHotel in Turin, which is where Juventus players have their medical checked. 

It is currently unclear when Sinner will return to the court to begin his grass court preparations, but he has already confirmed he will not play the Halle Open.

Sinner will head into Wimbledon looking to defend his title from last year. The Italian won the tournament for the first time in his career after defeating Carlos Alcaraz in four sets to lift the title.

The World No. 1’s only other grass court title came at the Halle Open, when he defeated Hubert Hurkacz to lift the 2024 title at the German event.

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Alexander Zverev is the overwhelming favourite to claim the Roland Garros title following early exits for Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner in Paris.

The German started the tournament as the second seed, following Carlos Alcaraz’s withdrawal from a wrist injury, and the draw has continued to open up for the World No. 3.

Seven of the top 10 seeds have already exited, including Sinner and Djokovic, who lost to Juan Manuel Cerundolo and Joao Fonseca, respectively.

Despite many expecting the German to lift his first Grand Slam title, Zverev has played down his favourite tag after defeating Quentin Halys in four sets.

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Asked about Sinner and Djokovic’s exits from the competition, Zverev responded: “I know I’m playing de Jong tomorrow who has won six matches here and that’s my focus.

“I know who I’m playing next, that’s the only thing that I can control: the matches that I have in front of me. Everything else will fall into place.”

Zverev has reached three Grand Slam finals in his career, but he has lost every one. The first came at the US Open in 2020 when he let slip a two set lead against Dominic Thiem.

In the 2024 French Open final, Zverev once again let a lead slip, this time against Carlos Alcaraz. He was two sets to one up against the Spaniard before losing in five sets.

His most recent Grand Slam final came at the 2025 Australian Open, and it was his most convincing to date. He lost in straight sets to Sinner.

Despite his record in Grand Slam finals, Alex Corretja has backed the Zverev to finally break his duck at a major.

Speaking during TNT Sports coverage of Roland Garros, the Spaniard revealed: “It has to be Zverev. I think he has been waiting for this moment. Every time he lose a Grand Slam final it was pretty much because he lost to guys that were better than him.

“They had more power, especially on the forehand. Now, I don’t really see many players who can overpower him and I believe that the big night sessions on Chatrier favours his game.”

Zverev has dropped just one set at Roland Garros so far this year, which came against Halys in his third round match. The German dropped the third set, before taking the next to confirm a four set victory.

He heads into his match with de Jong having beaten in the Dutchman in their only two matches together on the ATP Tour. They both came on clay, in Hamburg in 2024 and Roland Garros in 2025.

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Joao Fonseca produced a spellbinding comeback to pick up the biggest victory of his life and knock Novak Djokovic out of the third round of Roland Garros.

The Brazilian teenager lost the first two sets, but battled back to topple the 24-time Grand Slam champion in front of a packed-out Philippe-Chatrier.

In what was arguably the greatest match of Roland Garros so far, the two men produced an extremely high level to try and keep their Grand Slam hopes alive.

However, some fans believe Fonseca’s win purely came down to Djokovic fading in the Roland Garros heat, but that is not a theory that Andy Roddick subscribes to.

Speaking on Served, Roddick applauded Fonseca for his level and believes his performance is the key reason why he won, rather than Djokovic’s ailing performance.

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“It’s as well as I’ve seen Novak play and he’s played a lot of good stuff but in the last couple years. The stats for Novak: he served 71% first serves in and by the way he’s one of the best in the world at defending his second serve.

“So think about that. 70 winners, 39 unforced airs and lost. And he lost! 70 winners, 39 unforced airs. It’s a great match. Novak did zero to beat himself. And I know that the laziest of narratives is going to be young guy beats the guy who’s fading.

“And listen, you have to fade. Time’s undefeated. But this match didn’t feel like it. I know Novak was little tired, but 70 winners, 39 unforced errors, 71% first serves. Novak played well. Fonseca beat him.”

Roddick believes Fonseca’s performance was a defining moment and he strongly believes it could be a turning point for the player’s young career.

“In the moment. It’s the best I’ve ever seen him play on the biggest stage that he’s probably been on. I don’t know that we’ve had this this moment and someone kind of rise to that moment. You hope this is the first of many for Fonseca.”

Roddick is not alone in applauding the efforts of the Brazilian teenager. Tim Henman compared Fonseca’s performance to Roger Federer after he picked up the biggest win of his career so far.

Fonseca has long been considering the next big thing, but his performances on the big stage have yet to back that billing.

Before the 2026 Roland Garros, Fonseca had failed to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam, having previously been knocked out in the third round of Wimbledon and the second round of the US Open and Australian Open.

With Casper Ruud up next, there is every chance his time in the competition ends in the fourth round, but it certainly has been a landmark moment for the young Brazilian.

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With Roland Garros approaching its second week, all of the attention in tennis will soon turn towards the infamously short grass court swing.

Several high-profile players are jostling for wildcards, with the likes of Jack Draper, Grigot Dimitrov, and Serena Williams in need of direct entry at multiple tournaments on the grass this season.

Serena Williams looks likely to play Queen’s with many believing she could make a long-awaited return to Wimbledon too for the first time since 2022.

Her sister, Venus Williams, has experience of returning sporadically to tennis, having already played the likes of the Australian Open and the Madrid Open so far this season.

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Williams’ schedule has just grown too as she has received a wildcard for Bad Homburg in Germany, which takes place the week before Wimbledon.

The American icon will be joined by fellow wildcards Alexandra Eala and Eva Lys, the latter of which will be playing at one of her home tournaments on the grass.

They will be joining three of the top 10 as Iga Swiatek, Elina Svitolina, Mirra Andreeva, and Karolina Muchova have also signed up for the WTA 500 event prior to Wimbledon.

Ekaterina Alexandrova, Naomi Osaka, Iva Jovic, Sorana Cirstea, Clara Tauson, and Elise Mertens have also signed up for the bumper event in Germany.

It is currently unclear whether Venus or Serena Williams will receive a wildcard for Wimbledon, although The Chamionships tend to save their entries for players from Great Britain.

Of the 16 wildcards offered for the 2025 event, only one went to a player from outside Great Britain. That was to former champion Petra Kvitova, who was set to retire after the event.

Kvitova won Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014, which is part of the reason she was given a wildcard for the event, as well as her departing the sport following the event.

However, with only one likely spot to play for, it could be fierce competition from the two sisters who have dominated Wimbledon for much of the last 30 years.

Serena Williams won Wimbledon seven times between 2003 and 2016, which puts her joint-second in the list of all-time winners in the Open Era.

Only Martina Navratilova has claimed more Wimbledon ladies singles title, having won an incredible nine titles at the UK Grand Slam.

As for Venus Williams, the American claimed five Wimbledon crowns between 2000 and 2008 in an incredible run at the Grand Slam. Her last appearance came in 2023, when she was defeated by Svitolina in the first round.

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Novak Djokovic comfortably took the first two sets off Joao Fonseca in his third round match at Roland Garros.

Djokovic needed just one break of serve in each set to take a lead by a scoreline of 6-4, 6-4, but that still didn’t stop him from issuing a complaint on the court.

Between the second and third set, Djokovic was not happy with how close the cameraman came to him as he was changing clothes and getting ready for the next set.

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Looking straight down the barrel of the camera, Djokovic exclaimed: “Can you come more in my face? For god sake, make some space!”

While Djokovic was far from happy with the broadcasters, his actions were defended by the commentators on TNT Sports and HBO Max.

Miles MacLagan, the former coach of Andy Murray, said: “Cameraman just getting a little too close for Djokovic. You can understand that, it’s a hot day. You’re trying to find some room to breathe.”

It surprised many that Djokovic has played two of his three matches in the day session at Roland Garros, particularly due to the soaring heats in Paris.

However, Djokovic reportedly asked for a day session during his second round match with Valentin Royer.

It is not clear whether if he asked the organisers for another day session, but he was reportedly struggling after the evening session in his first round match.

Djokovic defeated Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in four sets to get his Roland Garros campaign underway, but according to TNT commentators, he did not like finishing so late.

It is understandable for Djokovic, as players are still forced to conduct their media after matches, no matter how late they finish.

At 39-years-old, it’s not a surprise Djokovic would much prefer to play the day session and get an earlier night.

With his two performances so far in the day session, it appears the 24-time Grand Slam champion’s tactics are working as he looks for a record 25th major.

With Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner already by the wayside, Djokovic has become one of the clear favourites to win the title too.

He is the second seed at the Grand Slam, behind only Alexander Zverev.

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Roland Garros has been plagued by unfortunate injuries at this year’s Grand Slam, with several being ruled out of the competition completely.

The advertising hoardings at the back of the court have played havoc with players in recent days, namely with Katie Boulter and Zeynep Sonmez.

Sonmez’s collision with the hoardings led to her withdrawal from her doubles match alongside Tatjana Maria against Anhelina Kalinina and Dayana Yastremska.

Boulter, meanwhile, suffered a fall in her match second-round match.

“THESE THINGS HAVE TO GO,” exclaimed Boulter on social media a day after her fall against Anastasia Potapova. [I] got lucky last night but next time I might not be.”

Speaking on TNT Sports’ coverage, Tim Henman, Johanna Konta, and Laura Robson were all in agreement that a major change needed to be made by the French Grand Slam.

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“I just wonder if it’s time to get those covers at the side of the court. Why do they need to be at the back of the court?,” said Henman about the mass number of injuries.

“I know they drag them on from the back to front from the net, but at Wimbledon they’re at the side of the court. On a clay court you need as much run back as possible because the ball is bouncing high, players are retreating, so you just hate to see that. It’s uncomfortable to watch. I think something’s got to be done. There’s been too many incidents.”

Robson agreed, believing the change would not have any major effect on the Grand Slam at all. “To see something so preventable seems so silly,” said the former British tennis star.

Konta, additionally, suggested the advertising hoardings were not a problem exclusive to this year’s event, having suffered an injury during her playing days.

The former British No. 1 explained: “It’s been like that [at Roland Garros] for sometime because I actually remember when I played juniors here, I tripped over the tarpaulin bit at the back and properly bruised my left leg. I think it’s something that happens more than we realise because there’s more coverage, more cameras.”

Of course, injuries, withdrawals, and fatigue, at the event have not been exclusive to the advertising hoardings. The heat at the Paris event has plagued many players, including World No. 1 Jannik Sinner who suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the second round.

17 players withdrew or retired on Roland Garros day three, while Jakub Mensik collapsed in a heap after defeating Mariano Navone in five sets.

Roland Garros continues until Sunday, 7th June, when the men’s final is set to take place. Every match of Roland Garros is live across TNT Sports and HBO Max.

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Andy Roddick is once again beating the drum that Masters 1000 events should not be played over a fortnight after Jannik Sinner’s shock French Open loss.

The 24-year-old was the overwhelming favourite to win this year’s Roland Garros after sweeping the clay court season at Masters level, following wins in Monte Carlo, Madrid, and Rome.

The world No 1 seemed to be cruising into round three in Paris when he was 6-3 6-2, and 5-1 up against Juan Manuel Cerundolo on Wednesday afternoon.

But the Italian then suffered a physical collapse late in the third, with Sinner saying he felt “dizzy” and “wanted to vomit”. He never really recovered, and the Argentine completed a remarkable comeback in a 3-6 2-6 7-5 6-1 6-1 win.

Sinner later said this defeat was more down to illness than struggling with the hot temperatures. Former British No 1 Tim Henman suggested the four-time major winner should have skipped one of the lead-up events to the French Open, and Roddick has since made a similar comment.

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In recent years, the majority of Masters 1000 events have become longer and longer. While tournament organisers say this gives players more rest and prize money, the athletes themselves feel this is just lengthening an already overextended and physical ATP Tour.

On the latest episode of Served, Roddick remarked how Sinner looked physically strong despite playing for more than five hours in his 2025 French Open final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz.

Heading into that tournament, Sinner had played just once during the clay swing due to his doping suspension. But off the back of his record Masters 1000 winning run this year, the Italian may have run himself into the ground.

Roddick said, “I hate two week tournaments that aren’t Grand Slams. If you play Indian Wells and Miami, that takes a month. If you win them both, like Sinner did, great, you go to Monte Carlo.

“There’s not enough time between Miami and Monte Carlo to put in a training block physically. I’m talking about like training a block to go five sets, potentially seven times in 14 days.

“When you’re doing the three sets at the Masters… it’s just different. Let’s think about what happened with Sinner today, and obviously it was heat-related.

“And the example I’m going to give is not as heat-related, but kind of the best showing physically that I’ve ever seen from him was at last year’s French Open  – when he only had one tournament going in and he was suspended before.”

Roddick stressed that Cerundolo deserves a lot of credit for coming back and securing this momentous win in tricky conditions. The American also said he is not worried at all by Sinner’s game, merely the schedule.

He added, “I’m just simply acknowledging the trend and the thing that people kind of know. And that is proven at this point.

“But that training block, when you’re not playing Indian Wells, Miami, and then you’re playing Rome going in, all of a sudden you’re playing for five hours and 37 minutes versus winning everything, being extremely match tough, and not worried really about your game.

“I’m still not worried about his game at all. But when do you build the foundation to play five hours?”

Incidentally, Sinner has never won a match longer than four hours in seven attempts. While the Cerundolo encounter lasted three hours and 36 minutes, concerns about Sinner’s physical durability won’t go away.

In regards to Masters events being shortened, players may have to take a prize money hit for that to happen, with Monte Carlo the sole 1000 tournament to be played over a week these days.

READ MORE: Roland Garros set for a shock finalists after Jannik Sinner crashes out

The post ‘I hate it’ – Former world No 1 lifts lid on key factor behind Jannik Sinner’s shock French Open loss appeared first on Tennis365.

Andy Roddick has expressed his dismay that Moise Kouame seemingly cannot receive his French Open prize money despite his Grand Slam breakthrough.

In a tournament where seeds in the men’s draw have scattered like skittles in scorching Parisian temperatures, some remarkable stories have come to the fore.

No more so than 17-year-old Kouame, who backed up his win over 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic with a victory over Adolfo Daniel Vallejo to reach the third round of the French Open for the first time.

The teenager has set a number of records along the way, along with enjoying a seismic jump up the ATP rankings to 214.

After beating Cilic, Kouame earned €87,000 (£75,473) and then picked up another €130,000 (£112,775) for his second-round win. But it seems the youngster won’t be able to pocket that cash injection for a while yet.

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On the latest episode of Served, show producer, Mike Hayden, revealed that under French Law, minors (under-18s) are not allowed to receive or spend prize money or significant earnings directly.

Instead, their earnings are legally protected to prevent exploitation. Kouame only turned 17 in March, so he has quite a way to go before he can pocket that £173,440.

Former world No 1 Roddick was stunned by this revelation.

He said, “Wait, so you have a job, you make money and they won’t give you money? That’s seems absurd to me. It seems absurd.”

When Producer Mike stood by this assertion, Roddick added, he better be getting an interest rate while the government holds that back.

Kouame may not be too focused on that as he plays former world No 19 Alejandro Tabilo in round three of the French Open.

The home favourite will be eyeing a dream run in a tournament where overwhelming favourite Jannik Sinner suffered a shock loss to Juan Manuel Cerundolo on Wednesday.

Kouame was in the Italian’s half of the draw and like many left in the competition, the Frenchman will be licking his lips at the prospect of a deep run.

After winning his opening two matches, Kouame became the youngest male player to reach the third round of a major since Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon in 2003.

That is not bad company to be in.

READ MORE: Roland Garros: John McEnroe issues Novak Djokovic verdict after Jannik Sinner’s shock exit

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Jannik Sinner has said he ‘needs time’ to reflect on what went wrong during his shock French Open defeat, after admitting the result was ‘hard to accept.’

The Italian looked in total control while leading 6-3, 6-2, 5-2 during his second-round match against Juan Manuel Cerundolo before the hot conditions began to take their toll.

After failing to serve out the match at the first attempt, Sinner then opted to take a medical timeout at 5-4 in the third set.

Unfortunately for the world No 1, the timeout did little to improve his physical condition, as he was unable to recapture the explosiveness he had shown during the opening stages of the match.

The Argentine then stormed through 15 of the next 17 games to secure a stunning 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1 victory.

Cerundolo, ranked world No 54, will now face the winner of the match between Martin Landaluce and Vit Kopriva.

“I didn’t feel very good on the court – these things happen,” began Sinner during his post-match press conference.

“During the third set, I started well, but then I began to struggle. Congratulations to him because he deserved it. His game was solid, and that’s sport.

“I felt unwell, my head was spinning, and I had no more energy. Nothing was coming out. I tried to serve for the match, but I didn’t have much left. I let the fourth set go, then the first game of the fifth was tough, I couldn’t hold on anymore, and everything started going downhill.

“I felt it this morning. I didn’t sleep very well and was already struggling a bit when I woke up.

“In Grand Slams, there are always days when you don’t feel good, and that’s what happened to me. I hit the wall, and that’s it. It was hot, but not excessively hot – the conditions were fine to play in. It was just me today, that’s how it happened.”

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Cramping and dehydration have been recurring issues for Sinner throughout his career, despite his on-court success.

At the latest edition of the Shanghai Masters, the Italian was forced to retire in the third set after cramping against Tallon Griekspoor.

In January, Sinner looked close to retirement against Eliot Spizzirri in the third round of the Australian Open. However, on that occasion, he managed to prevail in a tight four-set battle.

Across all 18 of his five-set matches, the world No 1 has won just six and is yet to win any match lasting longer than four hours.

“In Shanghai, there was a lot of humidity, and in Australia it was extremely hot, I remember,” analysed Sinner.

“It’s different on hard courts, where the heat comes from below. Here it was hot, but it was manageable –  I wasn’t struggling because of the heat alone.

“It’s hard to accept, given my position, but that’s the way it is. I’m not going to play many tournaments before Wimbledon because I’ll need time to recover fully.

“I always try to look at the positives. I played well by winning three tournaments on clay. At the start of this tournament, I was playing well and moving well. Today was a very different day, one that shouldn’t have happened.

“I need time to understand what went wrong, but also to focus on the positives. One positive is that I’ll now have several weeks to train before Wimbledon.”

Heading into the match, Sinner had won the season’s first five Masters 1000 titles – becoming the only player to achieve the feat – including all three clay-court events in Monte Carlo, Madrid, and Rome.

As a result, combined with the absence of two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, the Italian was the overwhelming favourite to lift his maiden French Open title.

Sinner will also drop 1,250 ranking points after reaching the final 12 months ago, where he lost to Alcaraz in the longest final in the tournament’s history.

“You never know,” the world No 1 responded when asked whether he wished he had played fewer warm-up events.

“If I hadn’t played Madrid or Rome, maybe I still would have come here and had a day like this where I felt sick. I won three tournaments on clay – incredible results and an amazing streak.

“It’s not what I was looking for here in Paris, but sometimes you just don’t know.”

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