'This is going to hurt him': Greg Rusedski highlights what Jannik Sinner must do to bounce back after French Open heartbreak

Greg Rusedski has highlighted what Jannik Sinner needs to improve after suffering a heartbreak in the French Open final. The 23-year-old lost to Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday in what turned out to be an epic encounter, lasting over five hours, which became the longest final in the history of Roland Garros.

At one stage, Sinner was 5-3 in the fourth set and had three match points to play. However, he failed not only to capitalise on the match points but also failed to keep his serve in the next game when he was serving for the title. Alcaraz ended up lifting the title for the second time with a score of 4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 7-6.

Former British number one Rusedski appeared in the latest episode of The Inside-In Tennis Podcast, released on June 12, and highlighted that Sinner needs to work on winning matches that last close to four hours or even longer if he wants to stay competitive with players like Alcaraz going forward. Rusedski also believes that Sinner will come to Wimbledon, eyeing revenge against Alcaraz for the defeat in Paris.

“He [Sinner] has still not won any matches which go over three hours and 42 minutes, so that’s the problem,” said Rusedski. “He has got to start winning those five-setters after four hours plus. This is going to hurt him. I watched him when he did his acceptance speech, and he did not look tired. He looked like he was fresh and there in the moment. It is going to hurt for a week, and then he is going to get on grass courts and say I want to win Wimbledon now. I want to hurt him back. I want to see Carlos back in that final. I think he has got that mental fortitude. Let’s not forget he was a downhill ski guy before ski jumping and you only get one chance. In tennis, you get multiple chances and multiple opportunities, and it’s not gone until the last point. I think he is going to bounce back and want to hit back immediately because he was going to go in the record books as one of the few guys who has won three Slams in a row. Most of us mere mortals would have huge scar tissue out of that situation, but he has three slams to look back at that he has already won, he is number one in the world, he has a great team around him. Darren has been a great part of him mentally. This will hurt. It’s almost like Sabalenka. But I feel that they are two special people that they will bounce back and don’t be surprised if they both win Wimbledon.”