Jannik Sinner suffered a surprise defeat to Jakub Mensik as his time at the Qatar Open came to an end.
Sinner was expected to meet Alcaraz in another final, but Mensik produced a spellbinding display to beat the world number two in three sets.
The Italian’s out-of-sorts start to the season has continued, following his loss to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open semi-final.
Sinner’s decision to play the Qatar Open has been made even more bizarre after his early exit from the tournament.
Jannik Sinner should have played Rotterdam instead of Qatar
Sinner’s decision to fly across the world to play in Qatar now seems suspect, particularly with so many other tournaments to play.
The Italian could have played the Rotterdam Open instead, which is not only closer to home but takes place on an indoor hardcourt.
What would have happened if Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner played at the same time as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal?
Sinner finished the season extraordinarily well on indoor hardcourts by winning the Vienna Open, the Paris Masters, and the ATP Finals.
The world number two has previously won the Rotterdam Open in 2024 and he would have been the favourite to collect another 500 points this time around.
Sinner is essentially playing with a free hit for the next three months, because he is not defending any ranking points from last year, but he has already put himself at a disadvantage by playing in Qatar.
You could argue that Sinner wanted to try and deal with outside atmospheres, particularly because he’s set for Indian Wells and Miami next, but it’s proven to be a mistake following his loss to Mensik.
What Jannik Sinner said after his defeat to Jakub Mensik
Sinner accepted that he was in a downturn of form following his loss to Mensik, but he remains confident he can turn it around in quick fashion.
Speaking about his performance against Mensik, he said: “Maybe I made two or three wrong decisions, wasn’t entirely clear, but it happens.
Which member of the ‘Big Three’ is Carlos Alcaraz most similar to? Let us know why below👇
“I started poorly in the third set, which perhaps was the key moment. There I made some mistakes. I faced that break and then didn’t serve particularly well.
“Mensik played an excellent tie-break; perhaps I could have played the 4-3 game better, but it’s easy to talk after the match.
“I’m calm right now, I know what I have to do to come back. There are moments I have to go through. This is something all tennis players have experienced. I hope to recover as soon as possible.”
Sinner collected 100 ranking points for reaching the Qatar Open quarter-finals.
