Finally, Jannik Sinner came crashing down to earth. After a three-plus-month absence following the Australian Open, many suspected the world No.1 would have to ease his way back into steady competition.
Well, as a pleasant surprise, Sinner did the opposite of "ease" and instead reached the finals in his first two events: the Italian Open and the French Open. Suffice it to say, Sinner appeared not to miss a beat after being away from the game.
However, his hot return halted at the Terra Worrtman Open in Halle, Germany, this past week with a round of 16 three-set loss to Alexander Bublik. The defeat put an end to Sinner's fantastic return to the courts. If Sinner is feeling a little drained, his rival knows all about it.
Carlos Alcaraz offers support to recent Jannik Sinner development
There is no doubt that the loser of an epic match, such as the one between Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz at Roland Garros just weeks ago, would experience some exhaustion, whether at minor or major levels.
Perhaps exhaustion was the culprit in Sinner's early exit in Halle this week. He had picked up where he left off upon his return following his suspension; his two consecutive finals runs weren't surprising, yet they were surprising all the same.
It was the French Open string that may have done Sinner in, leading to the Halle fall. But disappointing defeats and what follows is something Alcaraz knows well, and he came to Sinner's defense this week, proving that even the best need time to rest.
“Well, depends on the matches. There were a few matches, really long matches that I have lost, and yeah, I just left the court by myself with the head up, and I didn’t need too much time to recover from that, and there were other matches that it was really tough to deal with,” Alcaraz told the media.
“I know that day for him (Jannik Sinner), that final was pretty tough to deal with after all, mentally. So I don’t know. From my experience, some matches that I have lost, I took three, four days just to recover mentally. Physically, as well, if it was demanding physically. So two or three days minimum just to recover from a really tough loss.”
Two lead-up events remain before the grand showcase in Wimbledon: Mallorca and Eastbourne. Sinner isn't scheduled to play at either, which means he'll have what Alcaraz spoke to, and that's recovery time. With a refreshed Sinner ready to go in London, he may give everyone a reason to forget what happened in Halle.