Sinner, philosopher: "I'm disappointed, but it's part of my growth process"

Jannik Sinner was beaten by Carlos Alcaraz (2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3) in the semi-final clash, billed as the final avant la lettre, of this Roland-Garros 2024. Although inevitably disappointed, the Italian was nonetheless serene and philosophical, as he often is, in his post-match press conference. He sees this defeat as a necessary step on the road to his highest level.

Jannik Sinner: "I think it was a great match, for sure. In the sets he won, he played the important points better than I did, and that was the key.

Of course, I'm disappointed with the way it ended. But it's part of my growth and the overall process. Looking back at the start of the tournament, I'm obviously very happy to have reached this stage. And on the other hand, I'm disappointed with today's match.

I'm still looking forward to improving. I'm trying to do my best, and we'll see what I can do in the future, here in this tournament. On the positive side, I've improved compared to last year (defeat in the 2nd round). There's another opportunity to play here for the Olympics, so we'll see how it goes.

I think we're studying each other very well (with Alcaraz). You can see a little tension on both sides sometimes. That's because, slowly, we're getting to know each other a little better. And every time we play each other, we expect certain things. And, to muddy the waters, we sometimes make different choices on the court.

I think the next time will be different. We'll see what surface we play on, because that's also very important. Best of 3 sets or best of 5 sets, that's different too. In a Grand Slam, it's a different approach.

But it's exciting and I'm looking forward, I hope, to playing more of them."