"This one will hurt for quite a while" - Jannik Sinner calls his US Open quarterfinal defeat to Carlos Alcaraz the toughest loss of his career
Jannik Sinner cut an understandably sad figure following his 2022 US Open quarterfinal defeat to Carlos Alcaraz on Wednesday.
The pair played out an epic five-set match at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, which saw Alcaraz emerge victorious 6-3, 6-7(7), 6-7(0), 7-5, 6-3 in five hours and 15 minutes. The contest also enters the record books as the second-longest match in US Open history.
Speaking at his post-match press conference, Sinner stated that it was probably the toughest loss of his young career. He hoped to wake up and take whatever positives he can from the tournament before returning to action in the Davis Cup soon.
"I had some tough losses, for sure. This is in the top list. I think so. Concerning also the rest of the tournament, no, yeah, I think this one will hurt for quite a while. But tomorrow I wake up, or today I wake up, trying to somehow taking only the positives, trying to take away the other part," Jannik Sinner said.
"But it's tough, for sure. Next tournament I will play Davis Cup. Before I want to practice again in the best possible way, trying to improve. Maybe next time I can win this, no? As I said, this kind of level was very high for sure. It was a good match. I hope also for the spectators. Yeah, last time I won and this time he won, that's it," he added.
"It was a good match, could finish in three, four, five sets" - Jannik Sinner
Carlos Alcaraz started the match strong by taking the first set. However, Jannik Sinner fought back by pushing the Spaniard all the way in the next two sets, winning both in tiebreaks to go one set away from clinching the contest.
At the end of the fourth set, the Italian was one point away from victory but squandered the match point, giving Alcaraz confidence and belief.
The 21-year-old Sinner said that both players played an incredible match and that it could have ended at several points.
"It was a good match from my side, from his side. Could finish in three sets, could finish in four sets, could finish in five sets. The level was high. At some point I didn't serve that well, but he was returning well. It was a good match. Obviously the crowd was good. For me only the second time on Ashe. So it was a good match for sure. But a very, very tough one," he stated.
"Some go my way and some go his way. But for sure I could have played it better. Talking now, it's easy, no? When you're on court, it's different. You feel a little bit more the pressure. You feel the momentum also. It's part of the game, no? I was serving quite well until that moment. Especially in the tough moments I served well. Yeah, it went his way. The fifth set I was also a break up. I couldn't find a way to close it out, and that's it," he added.
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