World number one Jannik Sinner has survived an almighty scare at Wimbledon.
Sinner, the defending champion in SW19, was at risk of being upset at a second consecutive Grand Slam event when he trailed Miomir Kecmanovic on Monday evening.
The Italian superstar ultimately triumphed, securing a 4-6, 6-3, 6-7, 6-2, 6-3 victory on Centre Court.
Sinner is the overwhelming favourite to defend his Wimbledon title – understandably so with Carlos Alcaraz absent from the event due to injury.
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However, if the 24-year-old continues to play as he did against Kecmanovic, there is little chance of him lifting the Wimbledon trophy on July 12.
Eugenie Bouchard, a former finalist at Wimbledon, has weighed in on Sinner’s recent struggles.
Eugenie Bouchard claims ATP players have seen ‘cracks’ in Jannik Sinner’s game
“I think the rest of the players saw some cracks at the French Open and are thinking if I stay with him in a match, I might have a chance later on,” the Canadian said while on punditry duties for BBC Sport.
“They are thinking he is not this perfectly Godly tennis player that we have seen so much of in the last couple of years.”
Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have dominated Grand Slam events over the past three years.
The pair combined to win nine consecutive major titles between the 2024 Australian Open and 2026 Australian Open.
Alexander Zverev ended that dominance earlier this month when he won Roland Garros for the first time.
“I think that lack of confidence on Sinner’s side and the increase in confidence of the opponents that he plays, plays a part in these matches,” Bouchard continued, speaking to Tim Henman and Tracy Austin.
“Especially when it’s the first round match at a Slam. It is tough to overcome all of that considering what happened at Roland Garros.
Henman, the former world number four, then added: “I think that’s what happened in Paris.
“You saw that incredible upset and then it was like a ripple effect and the number of upsets that took place was incredible.”
Sinner exited the 2026 French Open in the second round, losing in five sets to Juan Manuel Cerundolo after dealing with severe cramping.
Jannik Sinner’s last five matches
- Italian Open semi-finals: defeated Daniil Medvedev 6-2, 5-7, 6-4
- Italian Open final: defeated Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4
- Roland Garros first round: defeated Clement Tabur 6-1, 6-3, 6-4
- Roland Garros second round: lost to Juan Manuel Cerundolo, 6-2, 6-2, 5-7, 1-6, 1-6
- Wimbledon first round: defeated Miomir Kecmanovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-7, 6-2, 6-3
“I think because he lost so early in Paris, you have to remember he has not played in four and a half weeks,” Austin, the youngest Grand Slam champion in the Open Era, said.
“For a tennis player that is a long time and I can’t think of anything more difficult than adjusting from high bouncing red clay to slick low bouncing grass.
“I prefer the grass when it’s more brown, because you can trust when you are making that recovery that the shoe is going to stick.
“These are very difficult conditions but I was surprised by how many unforced errors and un-Sinner-like errors he was making.
“I think that’s because he did not have a match prep before coming to Wimbledon. Last year he had a bit of time.
“It’s very difficult playing a match to practicing.”
Jannik Sinner equals all-time Italian record
With victory over Kecmanovic on Monday, Sinner notched his 94th Grand Slam victory.
As a result he has now equalled the record for the most Grand Slam match wins by a male Italian tennis player.
Nicola Pietrangeli, a two-time Roland Garros champion, won his final Grand Slam match at the 1972 Wimbledon Championships.
The Italian tennis legend defeated Robert Stock and Ivan Molina, before losing to third seed Manuel Orantes.
Pietrangeli played his final Grand Slam match at the same event one year later.
He was defeated in the first round by lucky loser Jeff Simpson.
