"He hit the s**t out of the ball, there wasn't much to do": Francisco Cerundolo's hilarious take after big upset in Roland Garros
ATP
Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo was one of the most in-form players ahead of Roland Garros. Sitting at world No. 18, a career-high rank, Cerundolo registered 26 wins this season and was on a mission to surpass last year's 4th round in Paris. However, Canada's Gabriel Diallo (No. 54) stunned the Argentinian with a straight sets beatdown this Monday, sending him home empty handed.
After the heartbreaking loss, a shocked Cerundolo spoke with ESPN Latam and shared his thoughts about the early defeat:
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"I don’t want to see anything related to tennis, nothing on my phone, nothing at all. I don’t even want to think about it," said world No. 18.
Reflecting on his performance at the French Open, he added:
"I didn’t feel great out there, to be honest. My returning wasn’t good at all, but credit to him, he served really well. He mixed it up a lot, hitting serves in all directions. When I stepped in, he’d push me back, or go wide and I couldn’t get there. He combined his serve with net approaches really effectively. He played a very good match."
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"The only return game where I played well was the one where I broke him. But then, in the next service game, I didn’t play badly either...I just lost two or three rallies in a row, each one 15–20 shots long, which I usually win. I thought that could be my turning point, but I couldn’t find my rhythm even there."
"I was trying to make the ball bounce awkward for him, keep it out of his strike zone, but the court was slow and heavy, and for a guy his height, everything sat up perfectly. I couldn’t get him out of position, from any side of the court."
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"It hurts because it’s Roland-Garros, and I’ve been having a good year, I wanted to do well here. But I didn’t play great, either. When you play badly, you walk off the court with a bad feeling. And sometimes, there’s not much you can do...there were games where I didn’t even get to touch the ball, or he just hit the crap out of the ball, crushing me with winners. So yeah, it was a bit of everything today," concluded the best ranked South American of the tournament.
Tough loss for Cerundolo, another potential dark horse that says goodbye sooner than it was expected in the second slam of the season.
At TennisUpToDate.com, our writer—who holds a degree in biochemistry—brings a two-year, research-driven mindset and a sharp editorial voice to every story he tackles. Whether he’s breaking news, dissecting tactical shifts, or crafting in-depth tournament narratives, his work consistently delivers clarity, depth, and a unique lens on the game.
Argentinian-born and a lifelong sports obsessive, he blends analytical rigor with on-court intuition—shaped by years of studying momentum swings, technical precision, and the evolving legacy of tennis’ biggest names. This rare combination of scientific training and sporting insight results in journalism that is not only richly contextual and deeply informative but also encourages readers to think critically, feel connected, and stay engaged.
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