In the high-stakes world of tennis, emotional and physical resilience often separates champions from the rest. Carlos Alcaraz, the 2025 French Open champion, knows this all too well — especially after his epic five-set victory over Jannik Sinner in one of the most memorable Roland Garros finals in recent history. Now, as Sinner struggles to bounce back from that heartbreaking defeat, Alcaraz has weighed in on how long it might take for the Italian to recover mentally and physically.
Jannik Sinner’s quick return hits a wall in Halle
Sinner made a swift return to the ATP Tour, appearing at the Halle Open just nine days after the gut-wrenching French Open final loss to Alcaraz. While he managed a confident 7-5, 6-3 win in his opening round against Yannick Hanfmann, his second-round matchup exposed lingering effects of Paris.
Jannik Sinner was defeated by Alexander Bublik 6-3, 3-6, 4-6 — his first loss to someone other than Carlos Alcaraz since August 2024. The setback raised eyebrows and questions about whether the Italian had rushed his comeback.
Carlos Alcaraz offers insight into post-defeat recovery
Following his own match at the Queen’s Club Championships, where he beat Arthur Rinderknech to reach the semifinals, Alcaraz was asked about Sinner’s situation and how long it usually takes to recover from such emotionally draining losses.
“Well, depends on the matches. There were a few matches, really long matches that I have lost, and yeah, I just left the court by myself with the head up, and I didn’t need too much time to recover from that, and there were other matches that it was really tough to deal with,” Carlos Alcaraz explained.
Referring to the French Open final, he added:
“I know that day for him [Jannik Sinner], that final was pretty tough to deal with after all, mentally. So I don’t know. From my experience, some matches that I have lost, I took three, four days just to recover mentally. Physically, as well, if it was demanding physically. So two or three days minimum just to recover from a really tough loss.”
Wimbledon preparations under cloud
Sinner’s early exit in Halle, coupled with Alcaraz’s insight, puts a spotlight on his readiness for Wimbledon. Though he holds the World No. 1 ranking, the scars from the Roland Garros final may take longer to heal than expected — especially with the grass-court Grand Slam just around the corner.
As the tennis world awaits another potential showdown between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, one thing is certain: both players are pushing the sport to thrilling new heights. Whether Sinner can regain composure and form in time for Wimbledon remains the million-dollar question.