Though coming up short in the Internazionali BNL d’Italia final, Jannik Sinner departed the Foro Italico with pride and hope.
The 22-year-old Italian, who had resumed competition after a three-month injury break, advanced to the Rome championship match for the first time in his career — an emotional achievement made all the more cherished by the warm home fans surrounding him.
Sinner, who last played back in February when he suffered a hip injury, admitted that making the final was a big deal, not only for him, but for his whole team.
Sinner added, “After three months, to come here and achieve this outcome means a lot to me, a lot to my team too. We struggled a lot to be here. Happy also with my family and all of that.”
Even though he fell short against Carlos Alcaraz, Sinner saw a lot of positives from his Rome tournament. He said that the first set was a turning point during the match, but he was keeping his eyes on the bigger picture.
“Yeah, the difference? The first set for sure was a little bit of a game-changer. But talking generally, very happy about this tournament,” he said.
Sinner’s return to form and fitness is timely for Roland Garros, and although he was confident, he also admitted that they needs to improve.
“Surely there are some things like we could see today, that we need to get better if we want to do well in Paris,” he conceded. “I am closer than I thought in a certain way, but another way, we still have to work.”
Jannik Sinner Eyes Upcoming Roland Garros
With the French Open looming, Sinner is using Rome’s ups and downs as a learning experience.
“It was a good week for me. Some matches go extremely well, some matches could improve. But this is tennis. It’s a lot of ups and downs,” he said. “It gives me, hopefully, confidence to play some good tennis in Paris.“
For the time being, Sinner will take that momentum and Rome experience with him into Roland Garros — optimistic, down-to-earth, and hungry for more.