World No.1 Jannik Sinner recovered from a two-sets-to-one deficit to defeat Miomir Kecmanovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-3 in the first round of Wimbledon on Centre Court, overcoming rust and a bleeding foot to open his title defence with a hard-fought victory.
Struggles and a Fall
Sinner, who had not played a competitive match since a shocking collapse at the French Open where he lost 18 of the final 20 games after leading Juan Manuel Cerúndolo 6-3, 6-2, 5-1, looked tense from the start. He fell behind after a disastrous service game at 4-4 in the first set, hitting two consecutive double faults and a forehand error to hand Kecmanovic the set 6-4. The Italian's confidence was further shaken early in the third set when he took a bad fall, causing his right foot to bleed through his white shoe. Despite the visible blood, Sinner chose not to change his shoes or disrupt the rhythm of the match.
“I’m good. It just seems much worse than it is. Very surprised that they let me keep playing because, you know, all white, it turned into a little red. But I didn’t want to disturb Miomir. I thought we both had a good rhythm, it was a great match from both of us so I didn’t want to take any time,” Sinner said.
Kecmanovic's Bold Play
Kecmanovic, ranked outside the top 50, played aggressively, particularly in the third-set tie-break. He forced himself on top of the baseline, taking the ball early and redirecting brilliantly off both groundstrokes to win the tie-break 8-6 and take a two-sets-to-one lead. The Serb's bold play made an upset seem increasingly realistic.
Sinner took a short break between the third and fourth sets, and when he returned, he gradually found his rhythm. He served brilliantly from the start of the fourth set, allowing him time to regain timing on his groundstrokes. The Italian became unusually demonstrative, pairing fist pumps with audible barks of “let’s go” that echoed around Centre Court.
Dominant Finish
Sinner ended the match in full control, dominating from the baseline and firing a career-best 31 aces. He won the fourth set 6-2 and the fifth 6-3, demonstrating the service improvements that bode well on grass. His confidence visibly returned as he closed out the match.
“I was a little tight at the beginning, I didn’t play my very best,” Sinner said. “I tried to get into it, it was my first official match on grass. This also is very important – happy that I turned it around because the third set was a very tough one to swallow.”
Sinner had opted not to compete in any grass-court warm-up tournament before Wimbledon, so his game was coated in rust. Despite the shaky start, he composed himself and found a path through. “I always enjoyed this moment because what emotions I felt last year, it was the first time that I felt in this way, in a very happy way,” he said. “Coming back here and opening and play on Centre Court, this year was a year where nobody practised on it before, so it was brand new. Mentally, you know it. It has been an amazing, amazing day for me to feel this way at least once in my life. I think I handled the situation still quite well. It was very nervy, but very happy that I found a way.”
Sinner's five-set record prior to this match stood at six wins and 12 defeats, a statistic that had drawn criticism. This victory improves his record in five-set matches and proves his ability to endure physically and mentally in long matches.
