World No. 1 Jannik Sinner of Italy commented on his loss in the Rome Masters final. Sinner was defeated by Carlos Alcaraz with a score of 6/7(5), 1/6.
Today was a good lesson. Sometimes things didn`t go our way, like hitting a forehand out at 40-40. We played well. Now the goal is to start well in Paris. We prepared very well for the match, as expected. When I play well, my game bothers Alcaraz, and when he plays well, he bothers me. He handled some situations better. But as soon as your level drops slightly against such players, it`s hard to recover. He moves better, and I need to improve in these areas, even during the Paris tournament, because it takes time. But we are in a good place for the first tournament.
Following his loss in the Rome Masters final, Jannik also shared his expectations for the upcoming Roland Garros.
Last year in Paris was different. To reach a higher level, I need to change some things. Definitely movement, and also understanding where you need to be, which is sometimes a bit different between hard court and clay. This was a good test to see where I stand on clay, to play well against Carlos before a Grand Slam tournament. We must improve; this is the surface I find most challenging, but this is the first tournament, the surface I like least… Reaching the final is good. I need to increase the intensity in Paris and maintain it for as long as possible.
Sinner also discussed his takeaways from the Rome tournament, which was his first event after a break.
It was an incredible experience. Playing in Rome is always very enjoyable; they welcome me like a child there, the support is just amazing. Of course, today we saw some things I need to improve if I want to perform well in Paris. In many ways, I am better than I expected. I had some truly incredible matches, and some could have been better. That`s tennis; it has many ups and downs. Overall, it was a very good tournament.
