Jannik Sinner endured a nightmare outing at the 2026 French Open after suffering a stunning defeat to Juan Manuel Cerundolo in what has easily been the biggest upset of the tournament so far. The shocking loss was made even more dramatic by Sinner’s physical struggles during the match, with the Italian battling cramps while also sparking controversy over claims that he received special treatment from the umpire.
Sinner had entered Roland Garros as one of the overwhelming favorites after narrowly missing out on the title last year following his epic final defeat to arch-rival Carlos Alcaraz. With Alcaraz absent this year due to a wrist injury, many expected the World No. 1 to finally complete his Career Grand Slam in Paris. However, those hopes came crashing down after Cerundolo produced a remarkable comeback from two sets down to stun the Italian 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1.
At one stage of the match, Sinner appeared to be cramping badly and sat down on the advertising boards beside the court for an extended period. Chair umpire Aurelie Tourte eventually stepped down from her chair to personally check on him, while medical staff later examined the Italian and took his blood pressure before allowing play to continue. Sinner managed to return to court but quickly lost momentum and eventually the match.
“Clearly cramps… they’re making exceptions to the rules for the top players,” Courier said.
Fans also took to X (formerly Twitter) to react to the controversial moment, with one user writing:
“Major questions need to be asked to Sinner’s team. How are you letting a player as undeniably fantastic as he is go out there and consistently embarrass himself in lengthy matches in the heat? This is a pattern that Sinner himself must be furious about…”There are major questions on how this match was handled by the referee and the organisers..and the preferential treatment that has been given to Sinner,” another wrote.
“This is just laughable now….if it wasn’t more obvious Dopinner gets special treatment I don’t know what is,” another posted.
“He’s a cheater establishment that saves him every time,” one user tweeted.
“He has pulled every trick in the book to cheat to win and what happens, his body has to betray him bc the cowards in charge continue to treat him like he’s something special. He’s not,” one account commented.