Sinner was leading against Tsitsipas in the third set and had a break point on the Greek’s serve – only for a second serve to be called in, when it missed the line. It is the sort of moment a match can hinge on, and so it proved with Tsitsipas using that as a springboard to claw his way back into the set, handing Sinner just his second defeat of the year so far.
“Everyone can make mistakes, for me what happened, happened. I’m a guy that tries to forget about this as fast as possible. I accept these kinds of things, there is no reason to get p***** or to get angry.
“For sure in this moment it was a little bit like this and for sure the next day, wanting to be on the court playing instead of at home but you know, this you have to accept.”
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Italy’s Jannik Sinner (L) leaves the court next to Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas (R) at the end of their Monte Carlo ATP Masters Series Tournament semi final.
Image credit: Getty Images
That moment aside, Sinner’s season could hardly have gone better – three trophies lifted from five tournaments entered, including that maiden Grand Slam title in Australia. His recent success might be all on hard courts but he does have previous on clay too, having beaten Carlos Alcaraz on the red stuff back in 2022.
And clay is set to play an even bigger part in the calendar this year, with the Olympics being staged at Roland-Garros.
But after such a busy start to the year, Sinner opted to miss Barcelona and instead get some much-needed rest and relaxation in while he could – with the tour non-stop from here all the way to the French Open, Wimbledon and the Olympics.
“I just tried to recover a little bit [after Monte Carlo], not just from the physical side but from the mental side, I had a very intense start to the season which I’m very happy and proud about,” he continued.
“I just went to my parents’ home, two days, not long and then this is just what I need sometimes. I love to spend time with great people, so that gives me a lot of energy.”
Sinner finds himself in the same half of the draw as a certain Rafael Nadal this week – the duo have met three times on clay, with the Italian yet to take a set off the Spanish legend. But they haven’t met since 2021, and Sinner is a different player than he was back then. And it’s clear that he would relish the opportunity to meet the clay-court GOAT once again.
“I was very excited when I played against him [at Roland-Garros] because it’s a test to see how far you are, what you have to improve and this for me, it was a really nice moment whenever I had the chance to play against him,” he said.
“Especially in Roland-Garros and now he’s back here, it’s so nice to see him around, hopefully he can stay as long as possible, hopefully his body feels better and better day after day.
“I wish him only the best because he gave so much positive things for not only me but to all of the really young players, to show us what fighting spirit really is. So I’m just really happy to see him around.”