It would crush almost anyone to play well for most of the season, win at Queen’s, and then suddenly look like they have forgotten how to win. That is exactly where Francisco Cerundolo seemed to be mentally. Since Queen’s, his performances have clearly bothered him, and at Cincinnati the frustration finally spilled out in public. Even during a practice session with Joao Fonseca, Cerundolo looked fed up, angry, and completely drained, openly talking about going back to Buenos Aires and not wanting to play anymore.

“I can’t play. I swear I want to go back to Buenos Aires,” Cerundolo was heard saying on the practice court. “I don’t want to play anymore. I hate playing this tour with my life”. The Argentine looked out of rhythm, missing many routine forehands and not looking energetic in the rally against Fonseca, prompting fans to worry about Cerundolo’s mental state.

The warning signs from practice quickly became reality, as Cerundolo crashed out to Nuno Borges in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4. It is a brutal turn for a player who had already won titles in Buenos Aires and Queen’s this season. Since lifting the Queen’s trophy, though, Cerundolo has lost four of his next five matches, including opening-round exits at Wimbledon and the Canadian Open.

The Cincinnati frustration may look sudden, but Cerundolo had already admitted after his Queen’s triumph that he had been struggling badly behind the scenes. Even while celebrating the biggest title of his career with new coach Nicolás Massú and his parents in London, the Argentine revealed, “I had a really bad time at Roland Garros. I wasn’t doing well, I was at odds with tennis, with life.”

He went even further, admitting, “I wasn’t enjoying it anymore; I was just going out on the court to play,” before explaining that he returned to Buenos Aires, took a week off and “needed to get away and regain some motivation.”

Cerundolo is hardly alone in showing the strain. Alex de Minaur also admitted he was crushed after his Wimbledon loss. With Alcaraz and Sinner sidelined, the chasing pack suddenly has a huge opportunity, but that opportunity comes with pressure. Masters 1000 events and Grand Slams are wide open, and players know these chances do not come often.

The Tour calendar has already been under scrutiny, with the top players criticizing it over the last few years. Players are more careful about managing their schedules, but even then, they take part in almost 15-16 events every year, which puts both mental and physical pressure on them.

And that is exactly why fans are worried about Cerundolo’s comments, which even suggest that he employ a psychologist.

Fans Express Their Concern Over Francisco Cerundolo’s Comments During Practice Match

Fans did not sugarcoat it either. One bluntly argued that Cerundolo is investing far too much emotion into a practice session, warning that if he falls apart mentally in training, the pressure of a real match could be even more damaging.

“He has to grow mentally a ton. We’re talking about this happening in a training session, so imagine it in a real match. We’ve seen this a thousand times already; studies have shown that, psychologically, it can destroy you,” said the fan.

Another fan sympathized with Cerundolo, recognizing the immense demands the sport places on players. “It’s a shitty sport, and it’s very demanding mentally. If someone tells everyone to go to hell during club matches, I can’t even imagine the pressure in a professional match,” said the fan.

Other fans pointed out that Cerundolo needed to take care of his mental health, and also suggested hiring a psychologist on his team.

“Urgent: Fran needs a psychiatrist. I love Argentine tennis players, and I never criticize them just for the sake of criticizing. But he’s really messed up in the head, to the point of needing psychiatric hospitalization. This is the best tour of the year after Madrid, Rome, and Roland Garros,” said one fan, while another commented, “Mental health is the most important thing, and if you keep going like this, you’re not going to make progress by waiting for miracles.”

“I always back Fran, no matter what results he gets. Yeah, I’m surprised by the things he says, and yeah, if he has a psychologist on his team, it’s essential, not to get better results, but so that he can have a good time. If that brings results, all the better,” said the fan.

The fans’ concerns about Cerundolo’s emotional reactions are not entirely new. His former coach Franco Davin previously acknowledged that frustration could negatively affect the Argentine’s performance, telling ATP Tour in 2024, “If every time he gets angry he goes on to lose two or three games in a row, at this level you’re giving away too much of an advantage.”

Cerundolo himself has also previously acknowledged the importance of working on the psychological side of his game. “In 2022 and 2023, I had a psychologist. I’m applying everything I learned during that time. Just like the physical side, the mental side can also be improved,” he told ATP Tour in 2024.

Cerundolo will next be in action at the US Open, which is a couple of weeks away. Early exits at Montreal and Cincinnati might be bad for the Argentine in the short-term, but that will also give him added rest to prepare himself for New York.