Jannik Sinner Gets Honest After Shocking Doha Defeat

Jakub Mensik defeated Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinal of the Qatar Open (Doha ATP 500): 7-6 (3), 2-6, 6-3. While all but one player on the ATP Tour would gladly trade seasons with Sinner, the early exit seems like a cause for concern.

While the four-time Grand Slam champion admits that he is in a down period right now, he is far from worried. After the match, Sinner dropped his usual public-facing wall with the media and was incredibly honest about what he is going through right now.

"Nothing bad happened, we're serene."

🦊: “Nothing bad happened, we’re serene. We’ll try to get the confidence back.

It’s moments that can happen, every player went through it. I’m really calm, I’m sure the work will pay off, results will come. Maybe not at IW or Miami, but the work will pay off. It’s okay.” pic.twitter.com/hyJF8OkeDE
— jannik sinner files (@jannik_files) February 19, 2026

"Nothing bad happened, we're serene," said Sinner in an Italian interview. "We'll try to get the confidence back. It's moments that can happen, every player went through it. I'm really calm, I'm sure the work will pay off, results will come. Maybe not at Indian Wells or Miami, but the work will pay off. It's okay."

Sinner complimented Mensik, "He served really well, so it was difficult to return. It's been a tough break in the third, a couple of mistakes. It can happen, obviously, but at the same time, I'm a bit disappointed in how I handled these moments.

"Every player goes through ups and downs. I've had two incredible years. Having a small down, it's nothing that's going to worry me. I know that I can play a little bit better tennis."

Roland Garros

Jannik Sinner says one of his biggest goals this year is Roland Garros

“One of my biggest goals will be Roland Garros, but that goal is still far away. We've seen that all players have struggled throughout their careers, but I wouldn't call this 'fatigue' yet [smiling], I've… pic.twitter.com/7fB20de0ay
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) February 20, 2026

In a separate interview with Giovanni Pelazzo of UBI Tennis, Sinner gave a surprisingly frank answer about one of his biggest goals for the 2026 season.

"One of my biggest goals will be Roland Garros, but that goal is still far away. We've seen that all players have struggled throughout their careers, but I wouldn't call this 'fatigue' yet; I've only lost a couple of matches. I also have to remember what I've done in the last three years, where I've won a lot of matches and lost very few.

WHAT A WIN FOR MENSIK 👏

A masterful @mensik_jakub_ performance sees him take out Sinner 7-6 2-6 6-3!#QatarExxonMobilOpen pic.twitter.com/U2xORRNk2g
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 19, 2026

"The confidence to play good tennis is there, it's there. Indian Wells is usually a tournament where I struggle a bit; we'll see what happens there, while in Miami, I've always played well. Then the clay season will start. I'm trying to add a couple of new things, today they didn't work as well as I would have liked, but not every day is the same."

"I'm calm at the moment. I know what I have to do to come back. There are moments that I have to go through, and that all tennis players have gone through. I hope to make up for it… as soon as possible."

Sinner is ATP world No. 2 with a singles record of 7-2 with zero titles. His next tournament will be the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.

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