In a surprising turn of events, World no. 2, Jannik Sinner, suffered a shocking defeat to Jakub Mensik at the Qatar Open on February 19, 2026. The Qatar Open was Jannik Sinner's first outing since his semi-final upset at the hands of Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open 2026 last month.

Sinner made an impressive start in the Qatar Open, beating Tomas Machac and Alexei Popyrin to progress through to the last eight. However, the Italian fell short against world no. 16 Jakub Mensik as he lost 7-6, 2-6, 6-3 in the quarter finals. Following the Qatar Open exit, Jannik Sinner opened up about having a 'little downturn' recently after a couple of successful years.

Jannik Sinner Opens Up After Qatar Open Upset

In the post-match presentation, Sinner shared that he was not at his best currently after a couple of successful years. However, he also added that he will recover from this slump soon and come back stronger.

The player shared, "Every player faces ups and downs. I've had two incredible years, and now I'm having a little downturn, but it's not something that worries me. I know I can play better tennis, but Jakub played and served really well. We all have ups and downs in our jobs, so I'm not worried."

He further added, "We try to improve in every tournament I enter: I'd like to go as far as possible, but it's normal to go through some tough times; I've had even tougher ones in the past. I know how to come back."

Jannik Sinner Shares Biggest Goal Of 2026

The Italian enjoyed an excellent 2025, winning the Australian Open and Wimbledon and reaching the finals in the French Open and US Open. Amongst all the major Opens, Sinner is yet to win the French Open, also known as Roland Garros, having won the US Open in 2024.

Following the Qatar Open exit, the player expressed that winning the Roland Garros is one of his major goals for this year.