Jannik Sinner believes there is a silver lining to his shock exit from the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle on Thursday.
The world No.1 suffered a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, loss to Alexander Bublik in what is his first defeat to a player ranked outside the top 20 since August 2023. It is also the first time in 2025 he has been beaten by a player other than Carlos Alcaraz. Sinner, who won his opening match against Yannick Hanfmann in straight sets, was playing in his first tournament since the French Open.
“In the first set I played good tennis, then in the second I had many opportunities and I didn’t capitalize on them, as well as in the third when I missed a fairly easy backhand. He then served well, on grass it’s a moment. It went like this,” the 23-year-old said of his defeat to Bublik.
Before playing Bublik, Sinner had a 66-match winning streak against players ranked outside the top 20. It is the first time he has failed to reach the last eight of a tournament since the 2023 Shanghai Masters.
Due to his early exit from Halle, Sinner’s rival Alcaraz now has the chance to close the points gap between the two in the PIF ATP rankings. The Italian will drop 450 points this week. As it currently stands, Alcaraz is 1,530 points behind him, but the deficit could be reduced to 1,130 points if he wins the Queen’s title.
Sinner plans to take a brief break to recharge after leaving Halle earlier than expected. His focus will then shift to Wimbledon, which is the only Grand Slam at which he has yet to play a final. His best result at SW19 was reaching the semi-finals in 2023, as well as the quarter-finals on two other occasions. An Italian player has yet to win a singles title at the grasscourt major.
“I have to accept this result, I need a few days off before Wimbledon. We have a week to prepare for London. At this moment, a break will do me a lot of good,” he concluded.
