The scorching heat of Paris got the better of Jannik Sinner. The Italian took to the field at 12, in the hottest hour of the day, to face the Argentine Cerundolo on the Philippe-Chatrier. A choice that proved fatal.
The collapse in the third set
Sinner was dominating the match and was very close to winning the third set at 5-2, with serve in his favor. At 5-4 and three break points against, he asked the referee to stop the game: he felt sick, with nausea. After a brief return to the locker room he returned to the pitch, but by then he was no longer the same. He lost the set he had in hand, then lost the fourth 6-1, conserving his energy for the fifth. To no avail: the last partial also went to the Argentine with the same score, marking his elimination from the tournament.
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A problem already seen
It’s not the first time that the heat has put Sinner in crisis. At this year’s Australian Open something similar happened in the match with Spizzirri: in that case the referee suspended the game and closed the roof, allowing the Italian to recover and win. This was not the case in Paris.
Record temperatures in Paris
On May 28, temperatures in the French capital exceeded 32 degrees, with a thermal perception that could have reached 36. At Roland Garros, climate monitoring systems are active on the pitch: above 32.2 degrees, matches are suspended, while above 30.1, a ten-minute break is foreseen before the decisive set. Thresholds which evidently were not enough to protect the number one in the world.
