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Cerundolo embraces Sinner check: ‘He’ll push me to the restrict’
Argentine faces World No. 2 Sinner for quarter-final spot in Paris
October 30, 2025
Benjamin Vodant/Getty Photographs
Francisco Cerundolo is 4-6 towards Prime-10 gamers in 2025.
By ATPTour.com/es Employees
“I’ve the extent to compete toe to toe with the perfect,” Francisco Cerundolo informed ATPTour.com earlier this 12 months.
The Argentine was on a roll; establishing himself within the Prime 20 of the PIF ATP Rankings, proudly owning a 4-4 report towards members of the Prime 10 and having reached at the least the quarter-finals in three of the primary 4 ATP Masters 1000s (Indian Wells, Miami and Madrid).
Nonetheless, an stomach harm that compelled him to retire towards Alexander Zverev within the spherical of 16 in Toronto put a dent in his well-earned confidence. The excellent news for Cerundolo is that this week on the Rolex Paris Masters he looks like he’s beginning to return to the sort of kind he loved at the beginning of the season, which is fortunate, as a result of on Thursday he faces the problem of enjoying World No. 2 Jannik Sinner.
“The primary six months have been excellent. I used to be enjoying at a excessive stage, I used to be very constant. Then I had a psychological and bodily hunch, which is possibly regular with the depth at the beginning of the 12 months,” mentioned Cerundolo, who has defeated Damir Dzumhur and Miomir Kecmanovic to this point in Paris. “Then I received an harm in Toronto, however I feel I’m enjoying nice tennis once more.”
When the Argentine is feeling assured, his opponents have good cause to be fearful; he has 5 profession wins towards members of the Prime 5, together with two this 12 months towards then-No. 2 Zverev in Buenos Aires and Madrid. He’s 15-18 total towards Prime-10 gamers, in response to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. Not dangerous for a person who’s but to interrupt into the world’s Prime 15.
A kind of 15 victories got here towards Sinner, who might be on the opposite aspect of the web on Thursday in Paris. He took down the Italian in Rome in 2023 when he was the world No. 8 and had the house followers spurring him on. Nonetheless, Cerundolo is able to switching gears in such atmospheres.
“I usually play properly towards the perfect gamers,” he additionally informed ATPTour.com just a few months in the past. “Subconsciously I do know that, as a result of they’re a lot harder gamers, I can’t give them any benefits, bodily, mentally or in tennis phrases. So I’m way more centered from begin to end.”
On Thursday evening in Paris, there’ll certainly be no exception as he seeks to earn a victory that will stage their Lexus ATP Head2Head sequence at 3-3.
“No matter occurs, I’ll need to play my greatest tennis,” Cerundolo, World No. 21, mentioned on Wednesday. “He’s top-of-the-line on this planet, for sure, alongside Carlos [Alcaraz]. They’ve been dominating the tour for 2 to 3 years, virtually from begin to end. It’ll be an incredible check. Hopefully I can play nice tennis as a result of he’ll demand all the pieces from me. And I’ll need to be prepared for that.
“He’s the perfect ballstriker on tour proper now. He can do something he desires with the ball on each side, so I can’t enable him to be comfy. I’ll need to serve very properly, play very aggressively, dictate the factors as a lot as I can as a result of he’ll push me to the restrict. I’m enjoying towards the perfect participant on this planet on indoor courts.”
