“It wasn't because of the heat”

The Italian won the first two sets without problems. Sinner then led 5-1 in the third set, but began to slow down, which Cerundolo took advantage of, winning four straight games.

At 5-5, the world leader called for a medical time-out, and then the Argentine won the next two games, reducing the score to 2-1 in sets, to finally prevail in the next two, in which Sinner won only two more games.

At the end of the match, at the press conference, the main favorite of the second Grand Slam of the year explained how he felt throughout the game and what are the real problems he encountered on the Parisian clay.

“Yes, I had difficulties, I started to feel very dizzy. No energy. I tried to win the set, but I didn't have much energy left. In the fourth set, I let it go a little bit softer, trying to keep my energy for the fifth set. The first game was very important. I didn't manage to win it. Then things went a little downhill,” he began the press conference.

Jannik Sinner: “It was all my fault today, but it happens”

Exhausted by the heat, he still wanted to clarify the situation and say that it was not the weather conditions that hindered him in this game.

“I woke up this morning, I wasn't feeling too good and I tried to keep the points really short. Also, at first I was hitting really clean, really good, and then I kind of hit a wall, and that was it.

In the third set, even though I was playing excellent tennis, I just couldn't find my energy today. It was a difficult situation.

But then again, that's how it is in sports. It was warm, but not excessively warm. I think the conditions were good enough to play. Honestly, it wasn't the heat, nor the weather. It was just my fault today, but it happens.

I think in general there are several factors that combine. It's not just one. I played a lot. I didn't have much time to recover.

I played really well in the first game here, really solid, but you know, when you come back the next day, you still don't have a lot of time, even though we finished late, but not extremely late,” Sinner continued.

Sinner admitted that he did not rest the night before the match

“Yes, I felt this morning that I didn't sleep very well. This morning, when I woke up, I had some difficulties, but you know, it can happen. Usually in Grand Slam tournaments you have a few days where you don't feel perfect. Today was one of them.

I think a number of factors have led to this issue today, but again, it can happen. Now I need time to analyze what went wrong and focus on the positives so that I can put into practice what I have learned in the weeks leading up to Wimbledon. Especially since, after Wimbledon, important tournaments await us.

It is not known. I mean, if I hadn't played in Madrid or Rome, maybe I would have come here and still had a day like this, where you feel terrible. So, you know, looking back, it's always really hard.

Look, I've won three tournaments on clay. Incredible results. We had an amazing streak. Of course, as I said at the beginning of the year, that's my main focus here.

A very early exit was not what I wanted, but you also don't know if things would have changed if I had skipped Madrid and only played in Rome or if I had skipped Rome and come here. You never know, yes,” concluded the world leader.

• Jannik Sinner's defeat in the second round at Roland Garros is the first for a world number one since Andre Agassi in 2000, when the American came to Paris as the reigning champion.