Jannik Sinner has only picked up 100 ranking points since the Australian Open.
The world number two traveled to Doha for the Qatar Open.
After beating Tomas Machac and Alexei Popyrin, Sinner lost to Jakub Mensik in the quarterfinals.
Is it time to start worrying about Jannik Sinner yet?
He has not looked himself in 2026…
Sinner then told the media that he wasn’t concerned about his recent defeats in Melbourne and Qatar, pointing to the French Open as one of his main targets for 2026.
But if his goal is to win the French Open, Sinner made a mistake playing the Qatar Open altogether.
Jannik Sinner should have played the South American clay-court swing
Instead of playing Doha, in the Middle East, Sinner should have gone to South America for the three clay-court tournaments.
- Argentina Open (Buenos Aires, Argentina – ATP 250)
- Rio Open (Rio, Brazil – ATP 500)
- Chile Open (Santiago, Chile – ATP 250)
Had he won all three, Sinner would have earned himself a whopping 1,000 ranking points.
1,000 ranking points, which would have helped close the gap to Carlos Alcaraz in the race for the world number one spot.
ATP Rankings
| Rank | Player | Country | Points |
| 1 | Carlos Alcaraz | Spain | 13,550 |
| – | Jannik Sinner (If he won Buenos Aires, Rio, and Santiago) | Italy | 11,300 |
| 2 | Jannik Sinner | Italy | 10,400 |
| 3 | Novak Djokovic | Serbia | 5,280 |
| 4 | Alexander Zverev | Germany | 4,555 |
| 5 | Lorenzo Musetti | Italy | 4,405 |
Winning three titles in three weeks would seem unrealistic in any normal circumstance, but given it’s Sinner, and looking at who played the ‘golden swing’ events in 2026, you’d have backed him to give it a go.
Top eight seeds at the 2026 Argentina Open
- 1. Francisco Cerundolo – ATP #19 (Champion)
- 2. Luciano Darderi – ATP #23 (Finalist)
- 3. Joao Fonseca – ATP #34
- 4. Sebastian Baez – ATP #35
- 5. Daniel Altmaier – ATP #44
- 6. Camilo Ugo Carabelli – ATP #48
- 7. Tomas Martin Etcheverry – ATP #54
- 8. Matteo Berrettini – ATP #58
Top eight seeds at the 2026 Rio Open
- 1. Francisco Cerundolo – ATP #19
- 2. Luciano Darderi – ATP #23
- 3. Joao Fonseca – ATP #34
- 4. Sebastian Baez – ATP #35
- 5. Camilo Ugo Carabelli – ATP #47
- 6. Alexandre Muller – ATP #48
- 7. Daniel Altmaier – ATP #51
- 8. Tomas Martin Etcheverry – ATP #54 (Champion)
Top eight seeds at the 2026 Chile Open
- 1. Francisco Cerundolo – ATP #19
- 2. Luciano Darderi – ATP #21
- 3. Sebastian Baez – ATP #32
- 4. Camilo Ugo Carabelli – ATP #46
- 5. Tomas Martin Etcheverry – ATP #51
- 6. Matteo Berrettini – ATP #57
- 7. Francisco Comesana – ATP #63
- 8. Alejandro Tabilo – ATP #68
With fringe top-20 players Francisco Cerundolo and Luciano Darderi heading the fields, Sinner would have been a huge favorite to win all three titles.
Not only would three titles in South America have strengthened Sinner’s position in the world rankings, but it would have given him more time on the clay.
Sinner was a point away from winning the French Open last year and is clearly focused on winning the title in 2026 to complete his Career Grand Slam.
Has anyone in tennis history ever hit the ball as hard as Jannik Sinner does?
What better way to prepare for Roland Garros than getting minutes on the surface months before the event begins?
It’s also important for Sinner to get used to winning titles on clay.
The Italian is one of the best clay-courters on the planet, but doesn’t have the accolades to prove it.
Sinner has only ever won one clay title, at the Croatia Open, back in 2022.
Would Sinner be more or less confident heading into the French Open with four clay titles to his name than one? The answer is obvious.
The reasons why Sinner should have made the trip to South America don’t end there.
Since the Clostebol saga, it’s fair to say the public perception of Sinner has deteriorated.
Being the sole top 10 player to compete in South America could have brought fans back onside.
The ‘golden swing’ is at risk of dying out, and the lack of star power at this year’s tournaments did the Argentina Open, Rio Open, and Chile Open no favors.
If Sinner had stepped up to act as the ‘savior’ of the South American clay events, perhaps his standing with some fans would have improved.
The reality is, though, that despite all the potential benefits, Sinner chose not to play the ‘golden swing’ in 2026.
But why?
Why didn’t Jannik Sinner play in South America?
While clay-court practice would have been beneficial for Sinner, it’s important to note that the conditions in South America are very different from those in Paris.
Altitude makes things tricky in South America, and success in Buenos Aires, Rio, and Santiago doesn’t always translate to the European clay season.
Secondly, there’s the issue of money.
Sinner was reportedly paid over $1 million to play the Qatar Open.
He wouldn’t have been paid nearly as much to travel to South America.
During a recent interview with ‘Clay Tenis‘, Stefanos Tsitsipas shared that low appearance fees were the reason why he’s never played the ‘golden swing’.
“I’ve never received good offers to go there; when the financial gap is big, you really have no option but to stick with what supports your career,” said Tsitsipas.
Sinner isn’t struggling for money, of course, but that doesn’t mean he should accept low offers when better proposals are on the table.
Only time will tell if Sinner’s decision not to play clay events in South America will work for or against him.
The French Open begins in May.
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