Cerundolo embraces Sinner test: 'He'll push me to the limit'
“I have the level to compete toe to toe with the best,” Francisco Cerundolo told ATPTour.com earlier this year.
The Argentine was on a roll; establishing himself in the Top 20 of the PIF ATP Rankings, owning a 4-4 record against members of the Top 10 and having reached at least the quarter-finals in three of the first four ATP Masters 1000s (Indian Wells, Miami and Madrid).
However, an abdominal injury that forced him to retire against Alexander Zverev in the round of 16 in Toronto put a dent in his well-earned confidence. The good news for Cerundolo is that this week at the Rolex Paris Masters he feels like he is starting to return to the kind of form he enjoyed at the start of the season, which is lucky, because on Thursday he faces the challenge of playing World No. 2 Jannik Sinner.
“The first six months were very good. I was playing at a high level, I was very consistent. Then I had a mental and physical slump, which is maybe normal with the intensity at the start of the year,” said Cerundolo, who has defeated Damir Dzumhur and Miomir Kecmanovic so far in Paris. “Then I got an injury in Toronto, but I think I’m playing great tennis again.”
When the Argentine is feeling confident, his opponents have good reason to be fearful; he has 5 career wins against members of the Top 5, including two this year against then-No. 2 Zverev in Buenos Aires and Madrid. He is 15-18 overall against Top-10 players, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. Not bad for a man who is yet to break into the world’s Top 15.
One of those 15 victories came against Sinner, who will be on the other side of the net on Thursday in Paris. He took down the Italian in Rome in 2023 when he was the world No. 8 and had the home fans spurring him on. However, Cerundolo is capable of switching gears in such atmospheres.
“I often play well against the best players,” he also told ATPTour.com a few months ago. “Subconsciously I know that, because they’re much tougher players, I can’t give them any advantages, physically, mentally or in tennis terms. So I’m much more focused from start to finish.”
On Thursday night in Paris, there will surely be no exception as he seeks to earn a victory that would level their Lexus ATP Head2Head series at 3-3.
“Whatever happens, I’ll have to play my best tennis,” Cerundolo, World No. 21, said on Wednesday. “He’s one of the best in the world, without a doubt, alongside Carlos [Alcaraz]. They’ve been dominating the tour for two to three years, practically from start to finish. It’ll be an amazing test. Hopefully I can play great tennis because he’ll demand everything from me. And I’ll have to be ready for that.
“He’s the best ballstriker on tour right now. He can do anything he wants with the ball on both sides, so I can’t allow him to be comfortable. I’ll have to serve very well, play very aggressively, dictate the points as much as I can because he’ll push me to the limit. I’m playing against the best player in the world on indoor courts.”
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