I have worked out the reason why Jannik Sinner has made such a slow start to 2026

Follow us on Google Discover

Jannik Sinner has endured a slow start to the 2026 season, at least for his very high standards, but it isn’t exactly a surprise.

Sinner has a 7-2 record for 2026 so far, reaching a semifinal and quarterfinal from his two tournaments played; the Australian Open and Qatar Open.

The majority of ATP players would be hugely satisfied with such form, but not four-time Grand Slam champion and former world number one Sinner.

However, the Italian’s slight decline could arguably have been predicted because of his admission towards the end of last season that losing matches was very much a possibility.

Is it time to start worrying about Jannik Sinner yet?

He has not looked himself in 2026…

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

Jannik Sinner spoke openly about losing matches in 2025

Sinner spoke openly about his struggles against Carlos Alcaraz and what he must do after their 2025 US Open final, which he lost 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.

The runner-up said immediately after the defeat in New York: “I was very predictable today on court. He did many things, he changed up the game.

“That’s also his style of how he plays. Now it’s going to be on me if I want to make changes or not. That’s definitely [what] we are going to work on.

“I’m trying to be more prepared for the next match that I will play against him. It also depends on how you arrive to play against Carlos.

“One thing is when the scoreline [or] matches before are comfortable but you always do the same things, like I did, for example, during this tournament, I didn’t make one serve-volley, didn’t use a lot of drop shots, and then you arrive to a point where you play against Carlos where you have to go out of the comfort zone.

“So I’m going to aim to maybe even lose some matches from now on, but trying to do some changes, trying to be a bit more unpredictable as a player, because I think that’s what I have to do, trying to become a better tennis player. At the end of the day, that’s my main goal.”

Of course, Sinner would not have eyed losing in the semifinals of the 2026 Australian Open, particularly against Novak Djokovic.

The same can even be said of his Qatar Open loss to Jakub Mensik, although looking back on his comments does lessen the shock impact of the defeat.

With ranking points, silverware and prize money all on the line, Sinner clearly still wants to win matches, but at the same time he may just be picking and choosing his battles given his clear aim of changing up his style.

Jannik Sinner will want to fix his head-to-head record vs Carlos Alcaraz

Sinner wasn’t exactly in a bad place when he lost the 2025 US Open final, having won the Australian Open and Wimbledon beforehand.

But the loss to Alcaraz was certainly a wake-up call, shortly after which he clinched titles in Beijing, Vienna and Paris before winning the ATP Finals too, even beating Alcaraz in the final of the season-ending event.

Such a lethal run of form suggests that another Sinner resurgence could arrive very soon, even with Alcaraz’s current dominance of men’s tennis.

How do you feel about Carlos Alcaraz’s dominance of men’s tennis right now?

Is it at risk of making the men's game boring?

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

The Spanish superstar has a phenomenal 12-0 record for his season so far, winning the Australian Open and the Qatar Open.

Notably, he has yet to take on Sinner in 2026, although he will have history on his side when they do inevitably meet.

The Italian may have won their last encounter, but Alcaraz has won 10 of their 16 matches on the ATP Tour, with their next reunion potentially taking place at Indian Wells next month.

It will certainly be intriguing to see what Sinner does against his fierce rival when they do come face to face once more, which should be sooner rather than later.

He clearly has a lot of difficulty when playing against the Spaniard, but right now the same can be said of every player on the ATP Tour.

Fixing his 6-10 record won’t be at the top of his list of priorities right now, although it should be somewhere in Sinner’s mind if he wants to become the leading man once again.