Jannik Sinner has been unstoppable over the past year. The Italian star has climbed all the way to world No. 1 and stayed there for 53 consecutive weeks, a stat that screams dominance. With eight titles in 2024, including Grand Slams in Melbourne and New York, he also kicked off 2025 by defending his Australian Open title. And yes, he’s managed all this even after missing three months due to a doping ban. Still, not all records bring a smile.

At Roland Garros, Sinner came painfully close to victory. He had three championship points but couldn’t close it out. Carlos Alcaraz battled back to win 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), and 7-6 (10-2) in a match that stretched across five hours and 29 minutes.

Jannik Sinner was chasing a third straight Grand Slam title, a feat achieved by only four men in the Open Era. The 23-year-old looked like a clear favorite, too. He stormed into the French Open final without dropping a single set, losing serve just three times across six matches. The last man to show that kind of efficiency in Paris? Rafael Nadal in 2012.

With that, Sinner became the first man in the Open Era to win the first 20 sets of a Grand Slam and not walk away with the trophy. That’s a stat no one wants to own.

And there’s more. His five-set record now stands at 6-10, and he’s yet to win a match that lasts more than three hours and 50 minutes. The world No. 1 is 0-7 in those long-drawn battles.

He’s also trying to move on. “I tried to delete everything, every set. In Grand Slams you try to start from zero again,” Sinner said. “I was, of course, disappointed about the fourth set and match points and serving for the match. But again, I stayed there mentally. I didn’t give him any free points. When it was over, it was over.”

Against Alcaraz, his serve came under pressure early. The opening game lasted 12 minutes. Sinner landed only 54% of his first serves throughout the match, which hurt him big time. The Spaniard broke him seven times and feasted on his second serve, especially in the final-set tiebreak. Apparently, the world No. 2 has been a thorn in the Italian’s side for quite some time.

Jannik Sinner “happy” to be part of rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz despite loss

Both of Jannik Sinner’s losses in 2025 so far have come at the hands of Carlos Alcaraz. He’s won 47 of his last 50 matches, and three of those losses? All against the Spaniard. Their rivalry now stands at 8-4 in Alcaraz’s favor.

Even so, the Italian sees the big picture. “It’s good to see that we can produce also tennis like this, because I think it’s good for the whole movement of tennis and the crowd. It was a good atmosphere today and also to be part of it is very special. Of course, I’m happy to be part of this,” he said after the final.

Despite the gut-wrenching loss, Sinner still has reasons to smile. He remains world No. 1 with a 2,030-point lead in the PIF ATP Rankings. Because Alcaraz was the defending champion in Paris, he couldn’t gain points. Meanwhile, Sinner added 500 points by improving on his semi-final finish from last year, also a loss to Alcaraz.

Up next, the grass season. The 23-year-old will be heading to Germany to play at the Halle Open as a tune-up for Wimbledon. Last year, he made the semi-finals at SW19. With the way he’s been playing, all eyes will be on him once again. Can Jannik Sinner bounce back from the Paris pain and conquer the grass courts this summer? What do you think?