Why he may be someone to watch in 2026
Flying under the radar seems to suit the 27-year-old just fine. Cerundolo keeps his head down, puts in the work, and goes about his business without much fuss.
He’s best known for his explosive groundstrokes. After coaching him at the Laver Cup, Andre Agassi told Tennis Channel: “Everybody is scared to death when he gets set to unload on his forehand.”
Cerundolo is also one of the tour’s most effective returners, ranking No. 4 on the Infosys ATP Stats Return leaderboard. That skill has helped him remain a consistent threat against the elite, with two wins over world No. 2 Alexander Zverev and victories over Top 20 opponents including Alex de Minaur, Casper Ruud, Holger Rune and Tommy Paul.
In February, he added Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas to his coaching team, signaling a willingness to try new approaches and build on incremental improvements rather than chase quick fixes.
“I actually didn’t set specific ranking goals this year, like saying I want to be Top 10 or whatever,” Cerundolo told press earlier this year. “I did that the past two years and didn’t achieve it, so I didn’t want to repeat that mindset. Instead, I’ve focused on goals in training, improving physically, mentally and in my tennis overall.
“I know I have the level to compete with the top guys. So my main goal is to be more consistent, and I think I’m already doing better than last year.”
