Jannik Sinner has reflected on his surprise exit from the Qatar Open in Doha, where he was knocked out by Jakub Mensik.
Mensik won their quarterfinal match 7-6(7-3), 2-6, 6-3, ending a run that had seen Sinner get past Tomas Machac and Alexei Popyrin in the earlier rounds.
Sinner was seeded second at the ATP 500 event but fell to sixth seed Mensik after just over two hours of play.
The Italian is now preparing for Indian Wells and took some time to look back on what didn’t work for him during his latest defeat.
Jannik Sinner admits slowing down hurt his game in Doha
Sinner told Sky Sport Italy: “Maybe in Doha I slowed my game too much, thinking too much about variations.
“Now here we’re trying to push a bit more again, I’m in a good mental state to do good here. I’m really calm, I feel good.”
Sinner’s Indian Wells run starts with a second-round match against either James Duckworth or Dalibor Svrcina.
As the second seed in California, Sinner could potentially face world number one Carlos Alcaraz if both players reach the final.
Sinner’s past results at Indian Wells
Sinner hasn’t quite hit his stride this season yet, while Alcaraz continues to set the pace. The Spaniard is 12-0 so far this year, compared to Sinner’s 7-2 record heading into Indian Wells.
Sinner has reached back-to-back semifinals at Indian Wells but lost both times to Alcaraz. Those runs represent his best showings at the event, where he holds an 11-3 record since debuting in 2021.
Although he hasn’t lifted the trophy in California yet, Sinner has picked up ATP Masters 1000 titles elsewhere — including wins in Toronto, Miami, Cincinnati, Shanghai and Paris.
Alcaraz remains the favourite based on recent form and head-to-head history. The Spaniard is already chasing his third title at this event and leads Sinner by over 3,000 points in the rankings — 13,550 to 10,400.
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