Jannik Sinner admitted it was “tough to accept” that a controversial line call may have cost him victory in his Monte Carlo Masters semi-final against Stefanos Tsitsipas.
In a gruelling encounter on Saturday, Tsitsipas picked up by far and away his best win of 2024 with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 triumph over the Italian, who had only previously tasted defeat once this year.
The match was partially notable for Sinner’s physical struggles in the closing stages of the contest, but a hugely controversial call at a key juncture of the third set attracted the most attention.
Leading 3-1 in the deciding set, Sinner held break point to give him what likely would have been an unassailable *4-1 lead in the decider.
And the Italian should have won the point with Tsitsipas hitting a second serve long, though there was no call from the line judge or umpire Aurelie Tourte.
Sinner himself also did not contest the call and that may well have cost him victory, as the world No 2 faded physically in the aftermath.
In press afterwards, he conceded that the loss was “tough to swallow.”
“You know, you cannot do nothing anymore. It’s already the past,” said Sinner.
CHILLS.
Courtside as @steftsitsipas stuns Sinner to reach a THIRD Monte Carlo final in four years!#RolexMonteCarloMasters pic.twitter.com/1yVUgOfI0M
— Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters (@ROLEXMCMASTERS) April 13, 2024
“I mean, it’s tough to accept this, yes. It’s tough, a tough one to swallow, because I was playing at some point great tennis. [I] was playing well. Tactically everything went in the right direction.
“You know, everyone can make mistakes unfortunately or fortunately. You know, also I can make mistakes. And it went like this.”
Sinner still had a break advantage after the call and moved 4-2 ahead, though his Greek opponent then rattled off the final four games of the match to reach a third Monte Carlo final.
The Italian’s physical struggles were notable in the latter stages, and he also revealed that his cramps could have been made worse by the aftermath of the decision.
“Having cramps, it’s a consequence of most likely of this what happened, because it also goes in the nervous side of the brain, and then after, it’s not easy to play. I tried my best still.
“Stefanos raised the level, but when the momentum changes, it goes like this. This is the fun part of tennis.”
After choosing to skip Barcelona next week, the Australian Open champion will be expected to return to court at the Masters 1000 in Madrid later this month