Jannik Sinner suffered another shock defeat yesterday, as he was knocked out of the Qatar Open by Jakub Mensik.
Such a loss has sparked something of an inquest into the form of the 24-year-old, who went through 2025 with a near-perfect record against players other than Carlos Alcaraz.
Now, he has lost to two alternative players in as many tournaments, with many wondering whether he is opening the door for a period of uninterrupted dominance for his great Spanish rival.
Alas, Jannik Sinner has insisted that his stumbling form does not worry him.
Jannik Sinner speaks about his form after suffering shock defeat
Sinner was surprisingly vocal after suffering defeat last night, offering lengthy quotes to various publications during what many are branding a mini-crisis for the former world number one.
He began by stating whether he’s worried about his form, telling reporters in the mixed zone: “Every player goes through ups and downs. I’ve had two incredible years, and now I’m having a little ‘down’, but it’s not something that worries me. I know I can play better tennis, but Jakub played and served really well.
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“We all have ups and downs in our job, I’m not worried. We try to improve in every tournament I take part in: I’d like to go as far as possible, but it’s normal to go through some tough moments; I’ve had others that were even tougher in the past. I know how to come back.
“I’m a bit disappointed with how I handled some moments, but it can happen. Indian Wells will be the next stop; we’ll focus on that after a couple of days’ rest. We have two weeks to work, including on the physical side.
“I maybe made 2/3 wrong choices; I wasn’t at my sharpest, but it can happen. There are moments I have to go through, and that all tennis players have gone through. I hope to make up for it as soon as possible. All in all, everything’s fine, I’m not making a fuss about this moment. It’s all okay.”
He then spoke to Sky Sports about the hope he holds for Indian Wells and Miami, adding: “We have Miami, Indian Wells, then we’ll try to find some rhythm. But I repeat, nothing happened, nothing serious. Here we are. We’re calm, we’re working well.”
“Let’s try to regain a little bit of confidence and then go to that point, let’s try to move forward, but now is the time for it to happen, all the players have passed and so I’m very calm and then if it starts again then I’m sure with the work we’re doing and that then the results will come.
“Maybe you don’t win Indian Wells, maybe not Miami, we don’t know, but here it is all work that sooner or later will pay off.”
Mensik gave his opinion on Sinner after beating him after the match too.
Jannik Sinner’s record in 2026
It’s hard to compare Sinner’s form from early 2025 to 2026, given he was forced to serve a three-month ban from the sport straight after winning his Australian Open title.
However, it’s fair to say that this season has not started so well, falling in the semifinals in Melbourne and now beaten in the quarterfinals in Qatar, both by players whom many would have previously backed him to beat with ease.
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After all, throughout the whole of last year, the Italian lost to just three players. Already, he is closing in on that tally in 2026, and that’s before even getting to the stage where he’d have to face Carlos Alcaraz in a final, who beat him four times in 2025.
Sinner now has a 7-2 record this season. He only lost six total matches in all of last season.
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