World No. 1 Jannik Sinner commented on his defeat in the final of the Rome Masters. Sinner lost to Carlos Alcaraz with a score of 6/7(5), 1/6.
“Today was a good lesson; sometimes things didn`t go our way, like the forehand going out at 40-40. We played well; now the goal is to start well in Paris. We prepared very well for the match, just as we expected. My game, when I play well, bothers Alcaraz, and when he plays well, he bothers me, and he handled some situations better. But as soon as you drop off slightly in your game against players like this, it`s tough to recover. He moves better, but these are things I need to improve on, even during the Paris tournament, because we need time. But we are in a good place for the first tournament,” Sinner said at the press conference.
After the loss in the Rome Masters final, Jannik also shared his expectations for the upcoming Roland Garros.
“Last year in Paris, the situation was different. To move to a higher level, I need to change some things. Definitely movement, and also understanding where you need to be, sometimes it`s a bit different between hard and clay courts. This was a good test to see where I am on clay, to play well against Carlos before a Grand Slam. We have to improve; it`s the surface I have the most difficulties on, but it`s the first tournament, the surface I like the least… Reaching the final is good. I need to increase the intensity in Paris and maintain it for as long as possible.”
Additionally, Sinner answered what he took away from the Rome tournament, which was his first after a three-month break.
“It was an incredible experience. Playing in Rome is always a great pleasure; I`m welcomed like a kid there; the support is just amazing. Of course, today we saw some things that I need to improve if I want to perform well in Paris. In many ways, I am better than I expected. I had some really incredible matches, and some could have been better. That`s tennis; it has many ups and downs. Overall, it was a very good tournament.”
