“I have the level to compete with the best,” Francisco Cerundolo told ATPTour.com earlier this year.
The Argentinian was on a roll; established himself in the Top 20 of the PIF ATP Rankings, with a 4–4 record against members of the Top 10 and reaching at least the quarterfinals in three of the first four ATP Masters 1000s (Indian Wells, Miami and Madrid).
However, an abdominal injury that forced him to withdraw against Alexander Zverev in the round of 16 in Toronto put a dent in his well-deserved confidence. The good news for Cerundolo is that at this week’s Rolex Paris Masters he feels he is starting to return to the form he enjoyed at the start of the season, which is fortunate as he faces the challenge of playing world number 2 Jannik Sinner on Thursday.
“The first six months were very good. I played at a high level, I was very consistent. Then I had a mental and physical breakdown, which is maybe normal with the intensity at the beginning of the year,” said Cerundolo, who has defeated Damir Dzumhur and Miomir Kecmanovic in Paris so far. “Then I got an injury in Toronto, but I think I’m playing great tennis again.”
If the Argentinian is confident, his opponents have good reason to be afraid; he has five career victories against members of the Top 5, including two this year against then-No. 2 Zverev in Buenos Aires and Madrid. According to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, he is 15-18 overall against top-10 players. Not bad for a man who has yet to break into the Top 15 in the world.
One of those fifteen victories came against Sinner, who will be on the other side of the net in Paris on Thursday. He beat the Italian in Rome in 2023, when he was world number 8, and had the home fans cheering him on. However, Cerundolo is able to step up a gear in such atmospheres.
“I often play well against the best players,” he also told ATPtour.com a few months ago. “Unconsciously I know that because they are much stronger players, I cannot give them any advantage, physically, mentally or tennis-wise. So I am much more focused from start to finish.”
There will certainly be no exception on Thursday night in Paris as he looks to complete a win that would level their Lexus ATP Head2Head series at 3-3.
“Whatever happens, I will have to play my best tennis,” world number 21 Cerundolo said on Wednesday. “He is without a doubt one of the best in the world, next to Carlos [Alcaraz]. They have been dominating the tour for two to three years, practically from start to finish. It will be a great test. Hopefully I can play great tennis because he will demand everything from me. And I will have to be ready for that.
“He is the best ball striker on tour at the moment. He can do anything he wants with the ball on either side, so I cannot allow him to get comfortable. I will have to serve very well, play very aggressively and dictate the points as much as possible because he will push me to my limits. I am playing against the best player in the world on indoor courts.”
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