Former tennis superstar wants Jannik Sinner to use Carlos Alacarz loss as fuel for the future

Sinner was handed a potentially devastating blow in the French Open final earlier this month, spurning a two-set lead and three championship points in defeat to Carlos Alcaraz.

It was the Italian's first loss in a major final and his first time playing in the final at Roland Garros, missing the chance to win a first Slam outside of hard courts.

However, the world No. 1 will return to Grand Slam action at Wimbledon next week, with action at the All England Club underway just three weeks after the end of Roland Garros.

Sinner has reached at least the last eight of Wimbledon for the past three years, with a semi-final showing in 2023 his best result at SW19 to date.

And, in quotes reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport, former ATP Tour star Ljubicic revealed his belief that the quick turnaround between the two Slams could work to Sinner's benefit.

"It was a nice blow, a hard blow," said Ljubicic. "But do you know how to erase a blow like that?

"If you keep going and have the chance to win a Slam. The good news is that this is the ideal moment because, if you take a beating in Paris, you have three weeks and you get back in the game right away.

"If it happens to you in New York, you have to wait until Australia, from Australia to Paris it's even longer."

Defeat to Alcaraz in the French Open final was a fifth straight loss for Sinner to the Spaniard, who now trails 8-4 in their head-to-head after initially holding a 4-3 lead.

While the Italian is among the leading contenders for the men's singles title at the All England Club, there is no doubt that Alcaraz is the favourite.

The Spaniard is the two-time defending Wimbledon champion and also won the title on grass at Queen's last week, with the world No. 2 riding a personal best 18-match win streak heading into the event.

While Sinner is perhaps the most likely challenger to Alcaraz's reign at SW19, Ljubicic admits that there is plenty the Italian must overcome to turn the tables on his rival.

He added: "In the end, he [Alcaraz] is the only one who beats him [Sinner], and when you lose to just one player, it is obvious that your mind stops there.

"This is the knot that Jannik must unravel at this moment. He will certainly spend some time studying how to beat Carlos, but the Spaniard is not someone who gives you a hand from this point of view.

"There are not many things to do against Alcaraz: the progress of the match depends a lot on him. Then it is obvious that at this moment Jannik suffers him."