Tennis fans were sure they were due the first ‘Sincaraz’ final of the season at the Qatar Open, but it was not to be.
Jannik Sinner lost to Jakub Mensik in the quarterfinals of the ATP 500 event in Doha, recording his second loss of the year.
The Italian was beaten by the sixth seed in a decisive third set, losing 7-6, 2-6, 6-3, just after his rival, Carlos Alcaraz, had advanced past Karen Khachanov.
Is it time to start worrying about Jannik Sinner yet?
He has not looked himself in 2026…
Sinner’s opportunity to become just the second player in the Open Era to three-peat at the Australian Open went begging Down Under when he fell to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals.
Now, however, there is another history-making feat the 24-year-old has his eyes on.
Jannik Sinner looks ahead to the upcoming tournaments
As per Ubitennis, Sinner said: “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 (smiles).
“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.
“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.”
Jannik Sinner can complete the Career Grand Slam at Roland Garros
Should Sinner win Roland Garros this year, he will have completed the Career Grand Slam, just months after Alcaraz managed the accomplishment.
Alcaraz became the youngest man ever to win all four majors at least once when he emerged victorious at Melbourne Park earlier this month, aged just 22.
Sinner would be 24, the same age tennis legend Rafael Nadal completed the Career Grand Slam at.
Last year, Sinner was agonisingly close to winning Roland Garros, having had three match points in the already iconic final between him and Alcaraz.
A reminder of what happens when Jannik Sinner plays Carlos Alcaraz…
Their match in the 2025 title bout lasted five hours and 29 minutes, and is considered by many as one of the greatest tennis matches of all time.
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