Francisco Cerundolo enjoyed some success in his early meetings with Jannik Sinner, but he has revealed the Italian has taken his game to a whole new level in their last two matches.
Argentina’s Cerundolo has a win on his record from his first meeting with Sinner at the 2022 Miami Masters, after the Italian was forced to quit their quarter-final clash.
He then beat Sinner at the ATP Masters event in Rome on clay the following year, but their last two matches have come when the Italian has been a whole new force in the game.
Speaking to Tennis365 at the UTS Grand Final in London, Cerundolo gave us an insight into how it feels to stand across the net from the four-time Grand Slam champion, as he admits the players he faced twice this year left him befuddled on the court.
“In 2023, he was like No 5 or No 6 in the world and now, obviously, he he No 1 or No 2, so it is very different,” began Cerundolo. “He had no weaknesses, no holes.
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“I played him in Rome this year and it was close. This was his first tournament when he came back after his suspension and I had a little more time to think on the court and try to create something.
“Then I played him on Paris indoors on a hard court and he was unbeatable. I was playing good, but I lost the first set 7-5 and then it was 6-1. Honestly, I felt like I was playing good and you get one game in the set.
“He is always there. His serve is amazing, his return is incredible and then with the points at the baseline, he hits the ball really hard and you have no time. I didn’t know what to do in Paris.
“He has improved a lot. Two years ago, maybe physically he was not so good and if you played long matches and long points, he was missing some balls. Now he is not missing anything.”
When asked what strategy could beat Sinner, Cerundolo admits he is struggling to offer up a credible plan as he added: “I didn’t beat him this year, so I don’t have a clue for that. I just need to practice for next season and try to be ready.
“To beat them (Carlos Alcaraz and Sinner), I have to play perfect and they have to play a little bit bad.”
Cerundolo’s comments confirm the aura around Sinner and Alcaraz is a huge part of their armoury, with top 10 star Casper Ruud telling Tennis365
“You can discuss back and forth as much as you want about different eras, but the fact for me is that Sinner and Alcaraz hit the ball with more speed than the ‘Big 3’ did,” Ruud told Tennis365 at the UTS Grand Final in London.
“Rafa always went full out on his forehand, but he had more spin on his backhand and now we have Carlos and Jannik… no side is a weakness. It doesn’t matter if it’s the backhand or forehand, they will rip it. Also, they move well, physically. They just move great.
“Jannik could always rip the ball, but one area he has taken to the next level is his movement. You see him sliding, defending anywhere on the court. The same with Carlos and I feel they defend in a way that Novak did.
“You feel like you have them on the defence and in one shot, they are on the offensive again. It has been really, really impressive and at times a little bit annoying how good they have become, but you just have to accept it and we just have to do better to beat them.”