“Today was important for many reasons. He needed that win today. He knew the importance of closing this one out when he had the opportunity,” said one of Jannik Sinner’s coaches, Darren Cahill, in a statement after the 23-year-old won his first Wimbledon title. That win was certainly needed, given that only a few weeks ago, the Italian tennis star lost his chance to secure the French Open title after suffering a narrow margin defeat at the hands of the defending champion, Carlos Alcaraz. That loss, as it turns out, affected a major part of Jannik Sinner’s legacy, which a tennis legend recently pointed out.

Former tennis player and 1976 Davis Cup Winner, Tonino Zugarelli shared his thoughts in the aftermath of Sinner’s recent win. In an interview with ‘La Repubblica’, he first congratulated the young star by stating, “Sinner deserved to win Wimbledon, both after this performance and after the one in Paris.” However, he also added that “Beyond that, the only regret I think he might have is not having won Roland Garros (The French Open), because that would have been the Grand Slam, which is the most important thing for a tennis player and certainly not something you do every day.” Zugarelli’s eyes were on the bigger picture, as he concluded his statement by saying, “Well done Sinner, but if he had won the Grand Slam, he would have made even more history.”

A ‘Career Grand Slam’ refers to the accomplishment of winning each of the four major championships (the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open) during any point in a player’s career. Only 8 tennis players have ever been able to secure a ‘Career Grand Slam’. Jannik Sinner had already won the Australian Open and the US Open last year. A win in the French Open and Wimbledon would have made the Italian the 9th tennis player to do so, and the youngest, beating the previous record set by Rafael Nadal after he won the 2010 US Open at the age of 24.

The fact that Jannik Sinner was mere inches away from a Roland Garros victory stung the most. Sinner secured victory in the first two sets and had three match points in the fourth set. However, Carlos Alcaraz soon found his groove and put out a 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(10-2) win. He saved three championship points and overturned a two-set deficit, becoming only the third player in the men’s Open Era to win a major after being championship points down.

Every defeat brings with it a lesson. By Jannik Sinner’s own account, “I had already a few sleepless nights” after the French Open loss. However, Sinner did not become one of the most revered Italian tennis players at the age of 23 by sulking. Instead, he pushed himself forward.

Jannik Sinner’s French Open loss is the secret to Wimbledon success

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner had played each other 12 times before the Wimbledon matchup, with Alcaraz boasting an 8-4 lead. That record, combined with the loss in the French Open, brought out Sinner in beast form recently. He overcame the Spanish player 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in a memorable clash and became the first Italian to win the Wimbledon singles crown.

During a post-game interview, the 23-year-old made it clear that he had spent some time analyzing what went wrong in the final of the Parisian tournament. Without that information providing him with the much needed clarity, Sinner would not have been the elated figure that he was a few hours ago.

“I think that’s the part I’m most proud of, because it really wasn’t easy. I’ve always tried to be honest with myself, and I’ve also talked with myself. I’ve always tried to accept it, in a way. Things can happen. I think if you lose a Grand Slam final like that, it’s much better than if someone dominates you,” said Sinner. “Then you keep moving forward, pushing. I put a lot of intensity in every training session because I felt I could play very well. That’s why I also said after Roland Garros that it was not the time to put myself down, because another Grand Slam is coming, and I did well here.”

How you win or lose in crucial tournaments serves as a benchmark. After all, as Sinner highlighted, “you just have to understand what you did wrong and you have to work on that. That’s what we did. We tried to accept the loss adjust kept working, and this is for sure one of the reasons why I hold this trophy here”.

It is important to remember that the French Open is played on a clay surface. Wimbledon is a grass surface. Jannik Sinner’s win record on Clay Court is 65–24 (73%), while it is 29–10 (74.4%) on grass courts. Sinner already had an advantage going into Wimbledon. Now, he has to look to up his success rate on the clay courts too.

At just 23 years of age, this young star is imparting crucial life lessons for all. His words resonate with a learning from the French Open, one that served him well at the All England Club. He still has a long road to go in his career to ensure he secures that Career Grand Slam honor too.