Jannik Sinner came up short in his maiden French Open final earlier this month.
It wasn’t to be for the world number one in Paris, as Sinner lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the French Open final.
The Italian led by two sets to love and failed to convert multiple championship points, before Alcaraz fought back to win 4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 7-6.
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Losing the longest final in French Open history, it’s hard to imagine Sinner won’t have looked back at the match, thinking about what he could have done better.
Two weeks on, Toni Nadal has said what he thinks Sinner’s coaching team should have shouted at him during the final.
Toni Nadal thinks Jannik Sinner’s box should have told him to ‘calm down’ during Roland Garros final
During an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Nadal suggested what Sinner’s team could have done differently in Paris.
“It was a very tough defeat. Jannik [Sinner] lacked a bit of calm in the most important moment. Maybe his box should have told him ‘Calm down!” he said.
“There was tension, Jannik was one step away from winning his fourth Slam, equalling Carlos [Alcaraz], and if in a situation like this you have three match points at 5-3 on clay, where the serve is less decisive and you can’t close out, then yes, it can hurt a lot.”
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Sinner had three championship points during the fourth set on Alcaraz’s serve when the Spaniard went down 0-40.
A long forehand from Sinner saw Alcaraz save the first championship point, before a backhand unforced error returning the Spaniard’s second serve, closed the gap to 30-40.
It was there that Sinner had his best chance to close out the match, taking control of the point with a great return.
Pushing Alcaraz into the corner, the 22-year-old did well to keep the ball alive, before Sinner made a devastating error, hitting a forehand into the net.
Three championship points had come and gone, as Alcaraz went on to win the title a few hours later.
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Perhaps if Sinner had been told to ‘calm down’ by the likes of Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi during those crucial moments, things may have been different.
The reality is we will never know, as Sinner now looks to push the defeat to the back of his mind and focus on the next Grand Slam event, Wimbledon.
Toni Nadal doesn’t think Jannik Sinner’s Halle defeat will affect his Wimbledon chances
Looking to bounce back, Sinner travelled to Germany for the Halle Open, a tournament he won in 2024.
Winning his opening match against Yannick Hanfmann, Sinner set up an intriguing second-round tie with Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik.
Suffering a shock defeat, Sinner lost to Bublik in three sets 6-3, 3-6, 4-6, putting an end to his title defence.
Sinner will now head to Wimbledon with a 1-1 record on grass, far from the ideal preparations he would have hoped for.
Nadal was asked whether he thinks Sinner was affected by his French Open final defeat when playing Bublik in Halle.
“I don’t think so. It was a different situation, a different surface, a different player,” he said.
“Maybe Sinner still lacks a bit of consistency after the break, but let’s not forget that he has reached two finals, a Masters 1000 and a Slam since he came back.
“I don’t think this defeat on grass will undermine his path at Wimbledon or the rest of the season. Sinner will start again from here.”
Sinner may well take inspiration from his greatest rival, Alcaraz, ahead of Wimbledon later this month.
In 2024, Alcaraz suffered a shock defeat of his own in the lead-up to Wimbledon, losing to Jack Draper in the second round of Queen’s.
In fact, looking back at the last ten Wimbledon champions, winning warm-up matches doesn’t seem to be a requirement for victory at the All England Club.
YearChampionTournament playedResultMatch wins2024Carlos AlcarazQueen’sLost in 2R12023Carlos AlcarazQueen’sWinner52022Novak Djokovic––02021Novak Djokovic––02019Novak Djokovic––02018Novak DjokovicQueen’sLost in F42017Roger FedererStuttgart/HalleLost in 2R (Stuttgart), Winner (Hale)52016Andy MurrayQueen’sWinner52015Novak Djokovic––02014Novak Djokovic––0Last ten Wimbledon champions and their grass warm-up results
Only time will tell if Sinner can add his name to the list of Wimbledon champions in 2025.
The 2025 Wimbledon tournament is scheduled to begin on Monday, June 30.