Jannik Sinner explains how he 'hit the wall' in second-round French Open loss

Sinner remains unsure what condition he's battling. He said he was fine on Wednesday but woke up Thursday morning not feeling "very well." 

Whatever it is, it caused Sinner to wilt in the match. He lost 18 straight points in the third set before being granted a medical timeout for dizziness. He returned to the court with an ice pack around his neck, but that didn't make a difference. Sinner subsequently lost 18 of his next 20 games. 

Heat may have played a factor. The temperature rose from 84 degrees to 90 over the course of the match. Sinner didn't pin his struggles on the warm weather. 

"It was warm, but not crazy warm," Sinner said. "I feel like it was quite OK to play. Really, it was nothing against the heat, nothing against the weather, it was just me today, but it happens." 

Sinner, however, has a history of struggling in heat. He was losing 4-6, 6-3, 1-3 to Eliot Spizzirri during the third round of the 2026 Australian Open in Melbourne, where the temperature reached 100 degrees. The match was paused for 10 minutes due to the tournament's extreme heat policy. Sinner then came back and won.

Sinner must find ways to beat the heat before Wimbledon (June 29-July 12) in London. He doesn't want to burn out in another big match after failing to win the first two Grand Slams this season.