The world No. 2 made it to the Monte Carlo Masters quarterfinal on Thursday with a 6-1, 6-7, 6-3 win over Czech player Tomas Machac, but the game revealed a weakness that Jannik Sinner hardly displays. The Italian breezed through the first set in 30 minutes but stumbled in the second. He lost two breaks of serve and proceeded to lose the set in a tiebreak 7-3. What went wrong?
Sinner was seen touching his back repeatedly and had called the physio during the match. He had even taken a medical timeout. Likewise, Machac also needed his elbow to be treated, leading to a chaotic middle stretch. In the third set, the second seed somehow discovered another level. He broke early and closed out the match in two hours. This was the first time Sinner had lost a set in his last 18 Master level matches. After getting the win through struggles, he was candid about it.
“It was a tough match, I was struggling a bit in the second set, I was a bit tired today. I hope I can recover for tomorrow,” Sinner said in his post-match interview.
Jannik Sinner after beating Tomaš Machač at the Monte Carlo Masters 1000:
“ It was a tough match, I was struggling a bit in the second set, I was a bit tired today. I hope I can recover for tomorrow.”
“I am happy to be in the QF, it will be tough against FAA next round” pic.twitter.com/cvUGh1ZEtn
— edgeAI (@edgeAIapp) April 9, 2026
The admission carries weight. Sinner has been consistent in 2026, winning the Sunshine Double at Indian Wells and Miami, and going 12 matches without a loss. Now, going to Monte Carlo as the player with the most to lose after narrowing the ranking difference between world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz to only 1,190 points. A title in Monaco would be a big step back to the number one position that he last occupied five months ago.
But the fatigue he mentioned is not surprising. Sinner has been playing a colossal amount of tennis lately, winning Indian Wells, winning Miami, and even going into the doubles draw here in Monaco with Zizou Bergs before dropping out before their second round game. The physical strains of such a schedule are starting to mount.
Despite the health concerns, Sinner was measured about the challenge ahead. “I am happy to be in the quarterfinals, it will be tough against FAA next round,” he said, referring to sixth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, a player he leads 4-2 in their head-to-head.
The quarterfinal is set for Friday. Between now and then, one question dominates: how well can the Italian recover?
