Jannik Sinner is a man with seemingly no weaknesses, but Brad Gilbert thinks otherwise.
After all, whilst seemingly no ATP player can compete with his power, precision and court coverage, other than Carlos Alcaraz of course, this legendary coach has a couple of theories.
Speaking after watching the Italian win yet another Masters 1000 title, this time in Rome, Gilbert was supremely complimentary about the world number one.
However, he was also analytical, and told the Big T Podcast what he thinks other players in the locker room will have figured out about how to potentially beat Jannik Sinner with Roland Garros just around the corner.
Jannik Sinner’s only weakness pinpointed by Brad Gilbert
The initial question he was asked was about whether his match against Daniil Medvedev might have sent shockwaves through the locker room, to which he replied with a smile: “If anything in sending shock waves against Sinner, that’s news to me.”
However, Gilbert then theorised: “But one thing you do know in the locker room is that maybe the one kryptonite that Sinner has is the long matches and hot weather.
Do you think Jannik Sinner could really win all 9 Masters 1000 events in 2026?
“I’ve already checked the long-term weather forecast for RG. We’re gonna start the first day of the tournament at 84 degrees. I don’t think we’ve had 84 degrees in the entire clay court season, and literally usually we start RG, and it’s raining, and it’s in the ’50s.
“So maybe if we get some hot weather, but I do feel like Sinner right now is every bit as much of a favourite to win RG without Alcaraz there as Rafa [Nadal] was when he was starting to dominate early on.
“But the guys are gonna have to make a stand. Whether or not it’s a Soderling playbook. Remember, he went as big as anybody could go.
“Or, like you’re talking about with Medvedev, let’s see some patience, extend the rallies.
“So, I feel like guys can’t beat Sin City just playing their normal game. So you need to be unpredictable in what you’re doing, and then extend the match.”
Can anyone now stop Jannik Sinner from winning Roland Garros after Carlos Alcaraz’s withdrawal?
If yes, who?
Marion Bartoli also explained why Sinner might not win Roland Garros as easily as people think too, suggesting this tournament might not be a foregone conclusion just yet.
Jannik Sinner’s worrying record in long matches
When Sinner faced Alcaraz in last year’s iconic Roland Garros final, having squandered three championship points, a graphic flashed up on the screen.
It detailed the Italian’s record in his longest matches and marked a daunting forewarning of what was to come. He went on to lose that final, and an unwanted streak was maintained.
Even today, he has lost all eight of the longest matches he has played in his career, and has never won a match that went beyond three hours and 48 minutes.
It’s clear that Gilbert is onto something, particularly with his Medvedev theory.
| Event and year | Opponent | Length of match | Result |
| Roland Garros F, 2025 | Carlos Alcaraz | 5hrs 29mins | Loss |
| Roland Garros R64, 2023 | Daniel Altmeier | 5hrs 26mins | Loss |
| US Open QF, 2022 | Carlos Alcaraz | 5hrs 15mins | Loss |
| US Open R16, 2023 | Alexander Zverev | 4hrs 41mins | Loss |
| Australian Open SF, 2025 | Novak Djokovic | 4hrs 9mins | Loss |
| Australian Open R16, 2023 | Stefanos Tsitsipas | 4hrs | Loss |
| Wimbledon QF, 2024 | Daniil Medvedev | 4hrs | Loss |
| Australian Open R128, 2021 | Denis Shapovalov | 3hrs 55mins | Loss |
Even earlier this year in Melbourne, a 38-year-old Novak Djokovic outlasted him in a semi-final that lasted four hours and nine minutes.
Despite Sinner sending a message to his physical team after winning the Italian Open, they clearly have some work to do to rectify this worrying statistic. He is just fortunate that his relentless ball striking and immense quality usually make it so that matches seldom go on for that long.
