Millions tuned in to watch the historic Roland Garros final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday. Even the 14-time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal dubbed it “one for the ages.” That match now carries the legendary seal. Carlos Alcaraz mounted an incredible comeback from two sets down, something he had never done before, to defeat Jannik Sinner. With this he became the first person since Rafael Nadal to defend his French Open title. While Alcaraz celebrated in Ibiza, Sinner was left dealing with a loss that stings more with every passing day.

The Italian had the match on his racquet. He led by two sets and held three championship points in the fourth set. And yet, somehow, he walked away as the runner-up. How does one recover from something like that? But Sinner, now in Halle, is doing his best to move forward.

“Thinking back, I still think about those couple of points and it won’t stop here I know that but in the other way I am happy to be here. I am happy to start a new tournament. I think this helps me to get again into this match rhythm and let’s see how I’m going to react,” Sinner said.

He’s clearly still hurting, but there’s also pride in what he achieved. “You can see the negative side but there is also a positive side. I’ve never played tennis on clay like this. I went to Rome I made the finals there, I played in Paris I made the finals of a Grand Slam, so amazing. The level we have played, me and Carlos, was extremely high so I am happy to be a part of this,” the World No.1 added.

He’s not wrong. Only one of his 19 career titles has come on clay, way back in 2022 in Umag. And let’s not forget, he came into the clay season carrying the weight of a three-month doping ban that left him out of practice and under heavy scrutiny. He had missed the last edition of Rome due to an injury and was keeping “low expectations” as he was out of practice for 3 months. And he still made the finals. Similarly in Paris, Jannik Sinner reached his first Roland Garros final without dropping a single set. That’s a pretty remarkable comeback, even if the ending wasn’t the one he dreamed of.

But heartbreak doesn’t fade overnight. Sinner spent time in his hometown in Italy after the loss, trying to hit reset. “I was very relaxed with my family. We grilled a bit, played table tennis with my friends,” he shared. “Really normal things, nothing special. I like going home, when a lot is going on. I feel safe at home and with my friends. They know how I am, and how I was before. They know me very well.”

Now, the surface changes. From red clay to green grass. The Terra Wortmann Open in Halle offers Jannik Sinner a new beginning. His arch-nemesis Carlos Alcaraz is sharpening his grass game over at Queen’s Club. But Sinner has plenty of other challengers lurking in the Halle draw.

Jannik Sinner’s path to title defence in Halle

Halle is not just any tournament for the Italian. This is where he won his first title on grass last year — also his first title as World No. 1. And now he returns as the top seed and defending champion.

Jannik Sinner opens his campaign against a qualifier. If all goes to plan, he could face two former champions in back-to-back rounds. Alexander Bublik, who won the title in 2023, is a possible second-round opponent, provided he gets past Alexandre Muller. Then there’s Hubert Hurkacz, the 2022 champ, who opens against seventh seed Tomas Machac and could be a potential quarter-final test.

The road doesn’t get any easier from there. In the semifinals, the top seed could clash with one among fourth seed Andrey Rublev, eighth seed Karen Khachanov, or the tricky Felix Auger-Aliassime.

And if he makes it to the final? There’s a strong chance he might run into second seed Alexander Zverev.

After Halle, all eyes will be on Wimbledon — the grass-court holy grail. Sinner made the quarterfinals last year before falling to Daniil Medvedev. This year, he’ll be gunning to go deeper. Maybe even all the way.

From heartbreak in Paris to healing in Halle, Jannik Sinner’s grass season is officially on. Can he shake off the clay-court heartbreak and script a fresh chapter on grass?