Former ATP Player Rubbishes Claim that Jannik Sinner is Going Through a ‘Crisis’ Period

Jannik Sinner to return to the court at the Indian Wells Open in March.

Former ATP Player Rubbishes Claim that Jannik Sinner is Going Through a ‘Crisis’ Period

Jannik Sinner (Image via X/Jannik Sinner HQ)

In Short
  • Jannik Sinner suffered his 14th loss since 2024 at the Qatar Open, raising concerns about his form.
  • Former ATP player Greg Rusedski dismissed claims of a crisis, suggesting it's a minor blip in Sinner's career.
  • Sinner will return to competition at the Sunshine Doubles, aiming to gain ranking points after missing last year's tournament.

Jannik Sinner suffered just his 14th loss since 2024 at the just-concluded Qatar Open. The loss seems to have shaken the Italian star’s aura of invincibility on tour, prompting pundits to claim he’s going through a career crisis. But former ATP player Greg Rusedski has revealed that concerns surrounding Sinner would soon be banished.

This season will be the first time since 2024 that Sinner will finish the first two months of the year without a title. Previously, he had often won at least one title before March. He was expected to win his first crown of the season at the Australian Open, but he surprisingly fell to Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals.

The 24-year-old had beaten Djokovic in their last five meetings before their encounter in Melbourne, where he fell in five sets. After the loss, there were suggestions that the Italian star met a better Djokovic at the Rod Laver Arena and had no answer to the 38-year-old’s style of play. The Italian star was expected to rebound in Doha.

Unfortunately, in Doha, Sinner reached the quarter-finals before losing to Jakub Mensik in three sets. The surprising loss despite being the favorite to win the match. However, as Sinner continues to suffer from an anomaly, his arch-rival, Carlos Alcaraz, has been in excellent form since the start of the 2026 campaign.

The Spaniard is yet to lose a match on tour and has won two titles, including the Australian Open. Also, he became the youngest player to complete a career Grand Slam after winning the title in Melbourne. During a conversation on Off Court with Greg podcast, Rusedski rejected the suggestion that Sinner has suffered a dip in form:

He’s lost matches back to back, having not won a tournament. This is a rarity. Is he losing form? Is he losing confidence? Are players figuring him out? I’m not so sure. It’s a minor blimp in my opinion. I think the pack might be getting a little bit closer. They’re starting to lift their games and that’s what we want to see. But I’m not worried about Sinner at the majors. We’re seeing more variety in his game and we got to give respect to the rest of the tour.

Sinner is known for playing his best tennis on hard courts, which makes it hard to understand his recent losses. He also had a strong finish to the 2025 campaign, winning four of his last five tournaments. In fact, during that run, he defeated Alcaraz in the final of the ATP Finals in Turin in straight sets.

Greg Rusedski says Jannik Sinner’s opponent at the Qatar Opponent

Jannik Sinner won his opening two matches at the Qatar Open without a sweat. He breezed past Alexei Popyrin and Tomas Machac in the ATP 500 tournament before facing Jakub Mensik, who was returning to tour following an injury he sustained at the Australian Open. He was supposed to play against Novak Djokovic in the round of 16 in Melbourne, but withdrew due to an abdominal injury.

Jannik Sinner
Jannik Sinner (Image via X/Jannik Sinner HQ)

Sinner was not at his best against Mensik, who earned 83 percent of his serve points on the court. The Italian struggled to return the Czech Republic star’s serve, which led to a 6(3)-7, 6-2, 3-6. During the aforementioned conversation, Greg Rusedski revealed that downplaying the quality of Mensik on the court is shocking:

Mensik when he’s on form moving well, nobody wants to play him and let’s not forget this time of year He starts to play really well last year. He beat a certain guy by the name of Novak Djokovic in the Miami final. So you got to take it with a little bit of a pinch of salt here. Sinner could have easily have won that one, but Mensik played the big points so so well.

Sinner will be back on the court at the Sunshine Doubles, which opens with Indian Wells on March 4. The 24-year-old didn’t play at the tournament last year due to his doping suspension, which gives him a good opportunity to earn significant ranking points if he wins.

Also Read: Jakub Mensik Calls Qatar Open Victory Over Jannik Sinner One of His Career’s ‘Greatest Matches’