Jannik Sinner’s physical struggles while playing in scorching heat are a secret to anyone. Now, as the French Open gets underway, he may be dominating on clay, but off the court, the conversation has shifted to alleged French Open favoritism. However, amid growing scrutiny, his coach, Darren Cahill, responded to the criticisms in a subtle yet loud statement.

“I think if we were trying to get away from the sun, we would ask for the night match or the first match on [Court Suzanne-Lenglen]. We knew after he won the first round that he’d probably be first or second on [Court Philippe-Chatrier] today. So for us, it didn’t matter if he was first or second, and he was scheduled first. So no problem for us,” said Cahill in an interview [h/t: The Tennis Letter on X]

Darren Cahill’s explanation does not come without reason. From fans to analysts, almost everyone in the tennis fraternity has questioned the scheduling of Jannik Sinner‘s matches at the 2026 French Open. And it gained traction right after his first-round victory. Jannik Sinner entered the 2026 French Open with a 29-match winning streak.

Donning high confidence, the Italian secured yet another dominating 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 win in the opening round. It was a quick and comfortable victory for Sinner. But heading into the second-round match, the question of scheduling arose. On Thursday, the organizers booked Sinner to face Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the very first daytime slot (12:00 PM local time) on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Among the many, journalist Ben Rothenberg accused the stakeholders of favoring the world No. 1. He felt that Sinner’s second-round matchup was scheduled to protect him from the hottest hours of the day.

“In the latest Bounces, I wrote about just how remarkable it was for #RolandGarros to put Sinner up first on Chatrier tomorrow. This is the first men’s match to get the opening Chatrier slot in THREE YEARS. And it’s very obvious that it’s to protect him from heat,” wrote Rothenberg on X.

Rothenberg’s assessment is correct. The last men’s match to open the Chatrier day session during the first 11 days of the tournament was in 2023, when Casper Ruud defeated Giulio Zeppieri. On top of that, the world No. 1 has reportedly never kicked off a day at the Chatrier in the last 25 years.

Also, it stands as a very rare instance when men open the Court Philippe-Chatrier. Out of the 55 most recent first slots allocated on the court, this match marks only the third time a man has been given the opening spot. Considering these and Sinner’s evidential struggles in playing in extreme heat, many eyebrows were raised.

However, Darren Cahill, who has been Jannik Sinner’s coach since 2022, addressed the speculation about favoritism by asserting confidence in playing whenever they are scheduled to compete. While they have clarified their stance on the issue, the controversy can also be put to rest following another angle.

A potential reason behind Jannik Sinner’s second-round match scheduling

It is not uncommon for a singles player to also compete in the doubles category at tournaments like the French Open. Alejandro Tabilo, who is currently ranked 13th in the ATP rankings, has partnered up with Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela for the doubles event. Likewise, Jannik Sinner’s second-round opponent, Juan Manuel Cerundolo, has a doubles match coming up.

The Argentine, partnering up with Mariano Navone, is scheduled to face the pair of Tabilo and Reyes-Varela on Friday, around 2:30 local time. So, had Cerundolo clashed with Sinner on the evening or night of Thursday, the questions about the Argentinian player’s adequate rest would have surfaced.

Hence, considering this, the stakeholders at the 2026 French Open may have opted to slot Sinner’s second-round match against Cerundolo in the very first daytime slot. As things stand, the World No. 1 has lost against Cerundolo in a five-set thriller (6-3, 6-2, 5-7, 1-6, 1-6), ending his 30-match winning streak.

Even though accusations were levied, Sinner eventually lost despite getting the opening slot. As such, after dominating the opening two sets, Sinner’s cramps and other physical struggles surfaced, ultimately resulting in an upset on Day 5 of the 2026 French Open.