At Wimbledon, the defending champion will play his first match since his second-round exit at the French Open.
Italian world No. 1 Jannik Sinner feels physically ready for his mission to defend his title at Wimbledon. “I feel good,” said the South Tyrolean in London: “I’m very satisfied with the work we’ve done over the past two and a half weeks. They were very long days. I feel well prepared.”
On Monday at Church Road, the 24-year-old will play his first official match against Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic since his memorable collapse in the second round of the French Open against Argentine Juan Manuel Cerúndolo. In the sweltering heat of Paris, Sinner had been clearly on course for victory, but then his body simply gave out.
In preparation for the grass-court classic, he has now “made a few adjustments. I’m not saying they’re major ones. But I always believe in small details and small changes,” Sinner said: “We won’t see the results here just yet. It’s a long process. There’s no magic involved. But yes, we’re doing our best.”
The fact that he didn’t play any warm-up tournaments on grass doesn’t worry Sinner. “Last year, I was eliminated in the second round in Halle. I came here—and played very well,” said Sinner, who had prevailed in the final against his longtime Spanish rival Carlos Alcaraz, who is currently injured: “Every year is different. I try to have as much confidence as possible in my shots and my abilities. The first few rounds are always very difficult. I’m mentally aware of that.”