Jannik Sinner may still be feeling the emotional aftershocks of his gut-wrenching French Open loss, but the Italian star is choosing to focus forward as he prepares for his grass-court campaign at the 2025 Halle Open.
Just a week ago, the tennis world witnessed an instant classic as Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz clashed in a five-hour-and-29-minute marathon at Roland Garros. The final will go down as one of the most dramatic in Grand Slam history—not just for its duration, but for its crushing outcome. Despite leading by two sets and holding three championship points, Sinner was unable to close out the match, eventually falling to the defending champion in a stunning reversal.
The defeat etched Sinner’s name into an unenviable record book: he became only the third man in the Open Era to lose a Grand Slam final after holding match points, joining legends Roger Federer and Guillermo Coria in that rare category.
"It was for sure a tough loss": Jannik Sinner
As he prepares for his first match since that heartbreaking loss, Jannik Sinner opened up about the rollercoaster of emotions he’s experienced. Speaking ahead of the Halle Open, the World No. 2 reflected candidly:
“It was for sure a tough loss. Looking back, I still think about those couple of points. And it won’t stop here. I know that.”
Despite the disappointment, the 22-year-old remains focused on recovery and growth. The transition from clay to grass offers him a clean slate—something he’s welcoming with open arms.
“I am happy to be here, I’m happy to start a new tournament – I think this helps me get back into match rhythm,” he added. “Let’s see how I’m gonna react. You can’t see the negative side, but you can still see the positive side.”
Rewriting his clay court narrative
While the loss stung, Jannik Sinner is still walking away from the clay season with his head held high. His journey to the finals of both Rome and Roland Garros solidified his evolution on a surface that was once considered his weakest.
“I’ve never played tennis on clay like this,” Sinner admitted. “I went into Rome, and I made the final there. I played in Paris and made the final of a Grand Slam. It’s amazing. The level we have played—me and Carlos—was extremely high, so I was happy to be a part of this.”
Now, as the grass-court season kicks off, Jannik Sinner enters Halle with renewed purpose. Though heartbreak still lingers, the Italian appears ready to channel that pain into motivation as he chases his first grass-court title of the season.