John McEnroe Makes Novak Djokovic Advantage Claim After Jannik Sinner’s Shock Early Roland Garros Exit

Once again, Jannik Sinner succumbed before the sun as cramps this time saw him lose his second-round Roland Garros match in five sets at the hands of Juan Manuel Cerundolo on Thursday (May 28th). Sinner entered the tournament as the heavy favorite to win, thanks to his form since Indian Wells and the fact that two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz withdrew due to a wrist injury.

And now, for the first time since the 2023 US Open, a player whose name is not Alcaraz or Sinner will take home a Grand Slam title. At that US Open, it was Novak Djokovic who won the title.

It was the Serb who knocked out Sinner in this year’s Australian Open final before losing the title clash to Alcaraz. Since winning his 24th Major, Djokovic lost in Grand Slam events due to either Sinner or Alcaraz, or he withdrew due to injuries (except the 2024 US Open).

But before reaching another final, he will have to deal with rising star Joao Fonseca in the third round. With Sinner or without him in the draw, Djokovic’s level is pretty high, believes John McEnroe. He said on TNT Sports:

I think his level is pretty high. Explain to me how this guy does it when he doesn’t play at all between majors? He comes out, and it’s as if he didn’t miss a beat. I know he doesn’t care much about the other tournaments anymore, but it feels like you have to play some of them, but for him, he doesn’t have to… he’s defying time.

Nole will be meeting the 19-year-old for the first time. Fonseca has already played a match each against both Alcaraz and Sinner, losing both times.

I’m picking Djokovic to win, but I think that’s one of the biggest moments of Fonseca’s career so far and will open him up. He has so many expectations, and it’s such a great result for him.

John McEnroe added

In last year’s Roland Garros, Sinner clinched a straight-set win over the Serb in the semifinal, before losing a five-set thriller to Alcaraz. Djokovic snapped his five-match losing streak against the World No.1 in this year’s Australian Open.

Jannik Sinner doesn’t blame his schedule for his Roland Garros exit

Although Jannik Sinner was enjoying red-hot form, there were some doubts regarding his physical condition because of how he was playing non-stop tennis since the Indian Wells Masters. Sinner wanted to test how far he could go, and he made the decision to play both in Madrid and Rome based on how his body felt.

The World No. 1 also admitted that he was in great need of rest after the Italian Open. But at the press conference after his Roland Garros exit, the 24-year-old did not blame his schedule for his early exit.

I mean, if I don’t play Madrid or if I don’t play Rome, maybe I come here, and I still have a day like this where you feel sick. So looking back, it’s always very tough. I won three tournaments on clay. Incredible results. It’s an amazing streak I’ve had. Of course, in the beginning of the year, this is my main goal here.

But he also contemplated a bit over whether he would have suffered an early exit had he skipped either the Madrid or Rome event. This is not the first time Sinner has struggled due to cramps while playing in extreme heat. Cramps hit him when he was playing against Daniil Medvedev in the Italian Open semifinal, but he was allowed a medical timeout. Sinner also struggled during his fourth-round match against Holger Rune in last year’s Australian Open.

Also read: Novak Djokovic Channels Inner Michael Jackson at Roland Garros to Challenge Dance Rival Aryna Sabalenka