Jannik Sinner in 'Heat Cheat' Storm at the French Open World No 1 is Knocked Out @ Paris 32C Wave

Whatever way Jannik Sinner tries to spin it, the heat got him in the end. No matter how poorly he felt when he woke up, how much fatigue may be gripping his body from the ceaseless run of tournaments he’s won over the last few weeks, or how many ‘baloney’ trips to air-conditioned locker rooms he was strangely allowed by the officials, his most troublesome opponent toppled him once again.

The Italian was four points away from a place in the third round when he started to get dizzy and said he felt the energy drain from his body. He cramped up again. He felt he was going to throw up. He tried to vomit but couldn’t.

He was allowed to leave court - we’ll get to that - came back on, won just two more games as he lost the last three sets to Juan Manuel Cerundolo, the world No 56.

'I woke up this morning, didn't feel very well,’ he said. ‘I just kind of hit the wall,' said Sinner. ‘That’s it. It was not like I was dying in the heat. I feel like it was okay to play; it was nothing against the weather, it was just me today. I couldn’t find any energy.’

But, no, it wasn’t the heat. For the man who sat in his chair on Court Philippe-Chatrier with an ice pack around his neck and a hand fan blowing in his face, it definitely wasn’t the heat.

‘If we were trying to get away from the sun, we would have asked for the night match or first match on Suzanne Lenglen,’ insisted Sinner’s coach Darren Cahill.

Put it this way, at 6-3, 6-2, 5-1 up, had Sinner not been playing in the middle of an unprecedented Paris heatwave and instead knocking it about in 20 degrees instead of 32, you feel a man coming to Roland Garros on the back of 30 straight wins and five tournament triumphs in a row may well have got over the line.

Instead, after losing 15 straight points in the third to go 40-0 down on serve at 5-4, he hit the wall.

As Daily Mail Sport discussed yesterday, when things get hot, Sinner often melts. He’s never won a Grand Slam match over four hours. He lasted 3 hours 36minutes here. At the Australian Open in January, he was 3-1 down in the third set before being saved by the heat rule, which suspended play, and he got the time he needed to cool down and regain control.

It looked like Sinner might be getting the same stroke of luck once again. Sinner clutched at his cramping leg, but instead of starting the serve clock, umpire Aurelie Tourte raced down from her chair to check on Sinner, who complained of dehydration, and was then allowed to leave the court, head off to the air-conditioned locker room, to be assessed by the medical staff.

While off the court, Tourte informed Cerundolo that Sinner was having his blood pressure taken.