PARIS (AP) 鈥� Two days after at the , it鈥檚 still unclear what exactly the issue was that led to him wasting in his second-round match.
What is clear, though, is that has had a series of issues with heat and cramps in big matches throughout his career.
Sinner said after wasting a two-set and 5-1 advantage in his five-set loss to Juan Manuel Cerundolo that he didn鈥檛 feel well when he woke up the morning of Thursday鈥檚 match.
Amid a week-long Paris heat wave, the temperature on Court Philippe-Chatrier rose to 32 C (90 F) during the match, and Sinner was clearly having a tough time cooling himself down as he reached for multiple ice bags and used a hand-held fan.
Still, he said the heat wasn’t the issue.
鈥淚 think many things together caused this problem,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 just need my time now to process what went wrong here.鈥�
It was Sinner鈥檚 12th loss in 18 career five-set matches.
Here鈥檚 a look at some other matches during which Sinner had physical issues:
Pickle juice remedy in Rome
Less than two weeks before his French Open defeat, Sinner leaned on his racket bent over in exhaustion during .
Sinner had his right thigh treated by a trainer midway through the second set and drank pickle juice to relieve cramps. He was seen vomiting or spitting something out in the corner of the court in the night match, which was held in humid conditions.
Still, he had regained control of the match before it was suspended overnight due to rain, and he came back the next day and finished it off in three sets and went on to win the title.
Saved by roof in Australia
In the third round of , Sinner was limping and desperately trying to stretch out cramps in his arms and legs amid severe heat against Eliot Spizzirri.
Sinner acknowledged he was lucky when the extreme heat rules saved him and the roof was closed just as he went down a break in the third set. He won it in four sets.
The Italian star, who was the two-time defending champion in Australia, was beaten by Novak Djokovic over five sets in the semifinals.
Retirement in Shanghai
Amid extreme humidity in the third round of his title defense at the in October, Sinner retired midway through the third set against Tallon Griekspoor.
He limped between points and frequently massaged his right thigh in the deciding set. On a changeover, he didn鈥檛 sit and instead put his legs up on his bench to try and ward off a cramp.
Abandoned final vs. Alcaraz in Cincinnati
Sinner retired 22 minutes into the against Carlos Alcaraz last year because of illness, amid extreme heat.
He put an ice pack on his head during a changeover but was clearly having trouble from the start.
鈥淒idn鈥檛 feel great from yesterday,鈥� Sinner said. 鈥淎lso during the night, I thought I would recover a bit better, but it was not the case. I just tried to go out for the fans, trying to give a match. But it was not meant to be for me today.鈥�
It was the first time in his career that he retired during a final. After he stopped playing, Alcaraz went over and put his arm around his rival as Sinner sat in his chair.
Trembling vs. Rune in Australia
In the fourth round of the against Holger Rune, Sinner advanced in four sets as both players struggled with the heat.
In the third set, Sinner鈥檚 hand was trembling during a changeover. He asked for a trainer, and told a ball kid to bring him something to drink from his team. The player鈥檚 pulse was checked, and then he trudged off with a towel draped around his neck and a bottle in each hand.
Sinner went on to win the title.
Dizziness in 5-set loss to Medvedev at Wimbledon
During a five-set loss to Medvedev in the , Sinner felt ill and dizzy and said he hadn鈥檛 slept well the night before.
He was treated by a trainer and left the court during the third set, then briefly surged before faltering again.
(corrects from cucumber juice in Rome section of previous story to pickle juice)
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