Francisco Cerúndolo Bio
Francisco Cerúndolo (born 13 August 1998) is an Argentine professional tennis player. He has a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 18, which he reached on 5 May 2025, and a career-high doubles ranking of No. 203, set on 31 October 2022. Cerúndolo is currently the No. 1 singles player from Argentina and South America. Since turning professional in 2018, he has won five ATP Tour singles titles and established himself as a regular presence in the top 30.
Early Life and Background
Francisco Cerúndolo was born on 13 August 1998 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He grew up in a sports-minded family that gave him early and consistent exposure to competitive tennis. His father, Alejandro “Toto” Cerúndolo, is a former tennis player and coach, while his mother, María Luz Rodríguez, is a sport therapist who also played tennis. That family background helped shape his early development on the court and laid the groundwork for a professional career.
Cerúndolo grew up alongside his younger brother Juan Manuel Cerúndolo, who is also a professional tennis player, and a younger sister, María Constanza, who plays field hockey for Belgrano Athletic Club and the Argentina national team. The Cerúndolo siblings are supporters of the Argentine football club River Plate. Raised in Buenos Aires, Francisco trained in a competitive local environment that pushed him toward the professional circuit at a young age.
Path to Professional Tennis
Cerúndolo turned professional in 2018 and began his climb through the lower levels of competitive tennis. He made his ATP Tour main draw debut at the 2019 Argentina Open in Buenos Aires, where he received a wildcard and lost to Guido Pella in three sets. A year later, he returned to the same tournament on another wildcard and again exited in the opening round, this time against Laslo Djere.
His breakthrough arrived at the 2021 Argentina Open, where, as a qualifier, he reached his first ATP singles final. He lost to world No. 9 Diego Schwartzman but became the first qualifier to reach the Buenos Aires final in twenty years. That same year he qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and made his Grand Slam main-draw debut at the 2021 French Open as a lucky loser. These results signaled his arrival on the ATP Tour and set the stage for a strong 2022 season.
Francisco Cerúndolo Career
Early Career (2019–2021)
Cerúndolo’s first two seasons on tour were about gaining experience and finding his footing against established opponents. His two early appearances at the Argentina Open in 2019 and 2020 ended in first-round losses, but those wildcard opportunities allowed him to test himself at the top level. In January 2021, he tested positive for COVID-19 during Australian Open qualifying in Doha, briefly disrupting his season.
Later in 2021, he reached his first ATP final at the Argentina Open and made his Grand Slam main-draw debut at the French Open. He also represented Argentina at the Tokyo Olympics, completing a formative period that ended with him ranked just outside the top 100 and ready to push higher.
2022: Masters Semifinal, Maiden Title, and Top 30
The 2022 season was the campaign that announced Cerúndolo as a top-tier player. At the Argentina Open he reached the quarterfinals as a qualifier and broke into the top 100 in singles. The following week, at the Rio event, he advanced to his first ATP 500 semifinal. He then traveled to Miami, where he produced one of the stories of the year.
Ranked No. 103, Cerúndolo reached the Miami Open semifinals in his Masters 1000 main-draw debut, becoming the lowest-ranked semifinalist in tournament history and the first male player since Jerzy Janowicz in 2012 to make the last four on his Masters debut. His ranking rose 52 places to a career-high No. 51. In July, he won his first ATP title at the Swedish Open in Båstad, defeating top seed Casper Ruud en route and beating Sebastián Báez in the final. He closed the year inside the top 30.
2023: First Major Wins, Latin American No. 1, and Top 20
In 2023, Cerúndolo registered his first Grand Slam match wins at the Australian Open and went on to his best major result at the French Open, where he reached the fourth round for the first time. He also won his first career grass-court title at Eastbourne, becoming the third Argentine champion on grass after Guillermo Vilas and Javier Frana and the first since 1995.
He lifted his second ATP title of the year in Lyon, finished as runner-up, and reached the top 20 in the ATP rankings on 12 June 2023. By mid-February 2023, he had also risen to Argentine No. 1 and Latin American No. 1. He added another strong major showing at the US Open with his first win there and recorded the first-ever Laver Cup victory for South America.
2024: ATP 500 Semifinal, Third Title, and 100th Win
Cerúndolo began 2024 with three second-round exits across the Australian Open Series before finding form later in the spring. Seeded fourth at the Rio Open, he reached the semifinals for the second time at that ATP 500 event. In Umag, he captured his third ATP title at the Croatia Open, upsetting top seed Andrey Rublev before defeating second seed Lorenzo Musetti in the final.
At the Paris Olympics, he won his opening match before falling to Casper Ruud in the third round. Later in the season, he upset Rublev again at the Rolex Paris Masters, recording his 100th tour-level win in the process. He closed the year as a consistent top-30 presence with one title and several deep runs at Masters events.
2025: Masters Quarterfinals and First Clay Semifinal
Cerúndolo reached the final at his home Argentina Open in 2025, defeating top seed Alexander Zverev before losing to João Fonseca. At Indian Wells, he reached his fifth career Masters quarterfinal and his first at that tournament, beating ninth seed Alex de Minaur before falling to Carlos Alcaraz. In Miami, he made it back-to-back Masters quarterfinals with wins over Tommy Paul and Casper Ruud.
On clay, he reached the Madrid Open quarterfinals with another win over Zverev, then advanced to his first career clay Masters semifinal by defeating Jakub Menšík. He finished the clay swing with strong results across both Masters events and continued to build momentum heading into the European grass season.
2026: ATP 500 Title and Grass-Court Title
Cerúndolo opened 2026 with his best Australian Open run, reaching the fourth round as the 18th seed after defeating 13th seed Andrey Rublev in the third round before losing to third seed Alexander Zverev. Back in Buenos Aires, he won his fourth career title at the Argentina Open, defeating Luciano Darderi in the final to claim back-to-back home titles.
At the Queen’s Club Championships in London, Cerúndolo came from a set down to defeat Tommy Paul and win the biggest title of his career, his fifth ATP Tour title and his second on grass. The result reinforced his status as one of the leading clay-and-grass threats on the ATP Tour.
Driving Style and Strengths
Cerúndolo plays right-handed with a two-handed backhand and stands 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) tall, a frame that supports a heavy baseline game. His biggest strengths lie on clay, where his topspin and court coverage have produced wins over Casper Ruud, Andrey Rublev, and Alexander Zverev. He has also shown steady improvement on grass, with two titles on the surface, and on hard courts, where he reached three Miami Open quarterfinals in four appearances.
Notable Events and Milestones
Key milestones include his first ATP title at the 2022 Swedish Open, his first Masters 1000 semifinal in Miami the same year, his first Grand Slam fourth round at the 2023 French Open, his rise to world No. 18 on 5 May 2025, and his run to the 2026 Queen’s Club title. He also became the lowest-ranked semifinalist in Miami Open history and one of only three Argentine grass-court champions in the Open Era.
Francisco Cerúndolo Career Wins
Francisco Cerúndolo has won five ATP Tour singles titles across clay and grass, with additional titles on the ATP Challenger Tour and ITF circuit. He has reached three ATP singles finals as runner-up and has recorded multiple top-10 wins, including victories over Casper Ruud, Andrey Rublev, Alexander Zverev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Jannik Sinner, and Taylor Fritz.
ATP Tour Highlights
Cerúndolo’s first ATP title came at the 2022 Swedish Open in Båstad, where he defeated Casper Ruud and Sebastián Báez. His second ATP title followed at the 2023 Eastbourne International, his third at the 2024 Croatia Open Umag, his fourth at the 2026 Argentina Open, and his fifth at the 2026 Queen’s Club Championships. He has reached ATP finals at the 2021 Argentina Open, the 2023 Lyon Open, the 2025 Argentina Open, and the 2026 Argentina Open, lifting the trophy in Buenos Aires in his most recent final.
Other Wins and Performances
Beyond his ATP titles, Cerúndolo has won multiple ATP Challenger and ITF titles, including the 2021 Córdoba Open run that preceded his older brother’s final. He has also represented Argentina in Davis Cup competition and at the Laver Cup, where he recorded the first-ever South American victory at the event in 2023.
Francisco Cerúndolo Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
The Cerúndolo family is one of Argentina’s most prominent tennis families. Francisco’s father, Alejandro “Toto” Cerúndolo, is a former professional tennis player and coach, and his mother, María Luz Rodríguez, is a sport therapist and former tennis player. Francisco’s younger brother, Juan Manuel Cerúndolo, is also a professional tennis player, and his younger sister, María Constanza Cerúndolo, plays field hockey for Belgrano Athletic Club and the Argentina national team.
Personal Life
Francisco Cerúndolo is an Argentine citizen who was raised in Buenos Aires and continues to base much of his career there. The Cerúndolo siblings are supporters of the Argentine football club River Plate, and Francisco often plays his home events in Buenos Aires and Córdoba. He is not publicly known to be married.
2025 Season Performance
Francisco Cerúndolo’s 2025 season was one of the strongest of his career, capped by a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 18 on 5 May 2025. He reached the final at the Argentina Open, defeating top seed Alexander Zverev along the way, and produced deep runs at the Indian Wells and Miami Masters events, reaching the quarterfinals at both.
He also reached his first career clay Masters semifinal at the Madrid Open, defeating Zverev again and Jakub Menšík before losing to Casper Ruud. Across the season he added several new top-10 wins to his résumé and confirmed his place as Argentina’s leading singles player heading into 2026.