Francisco Cerúndolo

Career

Cerúndolo made his ATP main draw debut at the 2019 Argentina Open after receiving a wildcard, losing to Guido Pella in three sets. He played another ATP main draw a year later at the 2020 Argentina Open, again on a wildcard, and lost to Laslo Djere in the first round. In January 2021, he was one of two players to test positive for COVID-19 during the Australian Open qualifying event in Doha. He reached his first ATP tour final at the 2021 Argentina Open as a qualifier but was defeated by world No. 9 Diego Schwartzman; he was the first qualifier to reach the final in Buenos Aires since José Acasuso in 2001.

Cerúndolo made his Grand Slam main draw debut at the 2021 French Open as a lucky loser, where he lost to Thiago Monteiro. He qualified to represent Argentina at the 2020 Summer Olympics. At the 2022 Argentina Open, he reached the quarterfinals as a qualifier, defeating Miomir Kecmanović, and entered the top 100 in singles. The following week in Rio de Janeiro, he beat Benoît Paire, Roberto Carballés Baena and again Kecmanović to reach his first ATP 500 semifinal, where he lost to Diego Schwartzman.

He advanced to the semifinals after Jannik Sinner retired due to foot blisters. Ranked world No. 103, he became the lowest-ranked semifinalist in Miami Open history and the first male player since Jerzy Janowicz in 2012 to reach the semifinals on his Masters 1000 debut. He lost to Casper Ruud in straight sets, and his ranking rose to a career-high of world No. 51.

Personal life

Tennis runs in the Cerúndolo family. Francisco’s younger brother, Juan Manuel, is also a pro, and he clinched his first ATP title at the 2021 Córdoba Open just a week before Francisco reached his maiden final. Together, they became the first brothers to appear in back-to-back ATP finals since Alexander and Mischa Zverev did it in 2017. That same Córdoba event marked the first time Francisco played a tournament alongside his brother, making them the first Argentine siblings in four decades to compete in the same ATP draw.

They also both advanced to the third round of the 2026 French Open on the same day, a feat only achieved twice before in the Open Era—by Gene and Sandy Mayer in 1979, and the Zverev brothers in 2018. Their sister, María Constanza, plays field hockey for Belgrano Athletic Club and Argentina’s national team. Their father, Alejandro “Toto” Cerúndolo, was a tennis player and coach, while their mother, María Luz Rodríguez, is a sport therapist and former player. The whole family supports River Plate.