Jannik Sinner returns to Wimbledon as the defending champion, stepping onto grass for the first time since lifting the trophy at last year’s Championships. It marks the first time the Italian has arrived at The All England Club without playing a tour-level grass-court event beforehand, but despite the differing build-up, the 24-year-old says he feels fully prepared to defend his crown.
“I feel good,” Sinner said in his pre-tournament press conference on Saturday. “I think grass is a very different surface. You come here trying to do your best. At the same time, if you play a tournament before here, maybe it's not going the way you would like to, you come here with some doubts. If you don't play any tournament, you don't have these doubts, you just go and play.
"Last year I lost second round in Halle. I came here and I played very well. Every year is different. I try to have as much confidence as possible in my shots and in my abilities. First rounds, they're always going to be very tough. I know that mentally. We are preparing in the best possible way.”
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Sinner’s grass-court preparation contrasts with his clay season, where he competed at ATP Masters 1000 events in Monte-Carlo, Madrid and Rome — a run that culminated in him completing the Career Golden Masters.
However, his Roland Garros campaign ended abruptly with a shock second-round defeat to Juan Manuel Cerundolo, where he struggled physically in testing conditions. Reflecting on the period, Sinner outlined the work he and his team have been putting in to move forward.
“You can’t simulate 100 per cent what you feel in a match because of tension-wise everything going around before and after match,” Sinner said. “We did some changes. I don't say big, big changes. But I always believe in small details and small changes.
“We are happy at the moment with what we are doing. The result we're not going to see here. It's a long process. There's no magic behind. We are doing as much as we can. I'm very happy with the work we did in the last two and a half weeks. Very long days. I feel well-prepared.”
Sinner begins his Wimbledon campaign against Miomir Kecmanovic, opening play on Centre Court on Monday as per tradition. The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings is bidding for his fifth major title this fortnight and sits in the same half of the draw as Novak Djokovic. He arrives with a 20-4 career record at Wimbledon.
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