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Jannik Sinner Has Had 'Sleepless Nights' After French Open Loss to Carlos Alcaraz

While Sinner has grappled with the agonizing defeat, he also has taken some positives from it.

Tim Capurso

Sinner lost to Alcaraz in five thrilling sets in a Roland Garros final for the ages.
Sinner lost to Alcaraz in five thrilling sets in a Roland Garros final for the ages. / Susan Mullane-Imagn Images

Jannik Sinner admitted he has had "sleepless nights" since losing the French Open final to Carlos Alcaraz in five thrilling sets last week.

While speaking to reporters in German at his pre-tournament press conference ahead of the Terra Wortman Open, Sinner spoke about both the positives and negatives of dealing with the agonizing loss.

"I think that for me to play another tournament is positive, because every match is a new beginning, and I must be mentally ready to give my all on the court," Sinner said according to the ATP Tour's website. "Therefore, it is great I can be here in Halle. But yes, I had already a few sleepless nights, but I think every day it gets better.

"My family stand behind me, and my friends. That is the most important thing for me. Tennis is important in my life but nevertheless are family and friends more important. Nonetheless I think often about the match."

Sinner won the first two sets of the match, then earned a quick break of Alcaraz's serve to begin the third set. But the Spaniard, who had never completed a comeback from two sets down in his career before his thrilling victory in the Roland Garros final, fought back and saved three consecutive championship points en route to winning the match in improbable fashion.

Not only did Sinner thrice lose out on an opportunity to secure the Musketeers' Cup, but he also won one more point than Alcaraz in the entire match, showcasing both how close he came and, yet, how gut-wrenching the defeat was.

While Sinner admitted he still thinks about those "couple of points," he also took some positives from the loss, namely that he had "never played tennis on clay like this." It's worth noting that Sinner reached this level of play in just his second tournament since returning from a three-month doping suspension.

He'll now turn his attention to the grass courts in Halle and then the iconic All-England Club for Wimbledon in just two weeks' time.

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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

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