Jannik Sinner defeated Nuno Borges, 7-6, 7-6, 6-4, in the second round of Wimbledon.
The world number one was made to work hard for his place in round three, as Borges played some excellent tennis on Centre Court.
Sinner even trailed by a break in the second set, but fought back as he so often does, to secure the win in straights.
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After the match, former Wimbledon champion John McEnroe shared whether he believes Sinner is still the favourite to take the title.
John McEnroe says Jannik Sinner is ‘absolutely’ the favourite to win Wimbledon
During the BBC’s Wimbledon coverage, McEnroe delivered his verdict on Sinner’s second-round win.
“It was actually a great test for him, he played a guy playing as good as he can play,” he said.
“Threw a lot at him, made him come up with the goods, intense moments, he’s got to be feeling good about that, to get through that in straights.
“Certainly looked like it was going to go four when Borges served for it in the second.
“But to me, that’s just what the doctor ordered, highly competitive, his level lifted, so it’s a good sign for Jannik Sinner.”
McEnroe was then asked whether Sinner is the favourite to take home the Wimbledon title.
“Absolutely, no question about that,” he said.
“[Although] there is a little dent in the armour, we saw in France, Paris.”
Sinner lost to Juan Manuel Cerundolo in five sets at the French Open, in one of the all-time Grand Slam upsets.
During his first-round match at Wimbledon, it looked as though he might suffer the same fate, but he emerged victorious in five sets against Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic.
The Italian is five wins away from the Wimbledon title, so he isn’t getting ahead of himself, but was happy with the level he produced in round two.
“Happy, of course, second set was very, very tough,” said Sinner during his on-court interview.
“It felt like the first couple of sets we were serving very well, so there were not a lot of exchanges, but overall, these kinds of matches where you don’t have a lot of control, I’m very happy to win, especially here on this surface. Now I have two wins, and of course, we see what’s coming.
Jannik Sinner vs Nuno Borges – Match stats
| Stats | Jannik Sinner | Nuno Borges |
| Aces | 22 | 6 |
| Double faults | 4 | 1 |
| 1st Serve % | 66% | 77% |
| Win % on 1st Serve | 82% | 70% |
| Win % on 2nd Serve | 67% | 46% |
| Break points | 3/8 | 2/4 |
“But very happy about the results, a couple of things we need to improve, but very happy, so thanks for coming, support has been amazing, thank you!”
Sinner shared whether he has shaken off all the rust he developed from not playing any warm-up events on grass.
“We are going to see!” he said.
“Of course, the first match I felt a lack of matches also today, a couple of moments where I need to get back to this rhythm, but overall, if we watch the scoreboard, it was very, very close, these matches, especially individual sets, help me a lot.
“We aim to improve, we aim to get a little bit better. Tomorrow is a day off, yesterday I didn’t do a lot, because of the first match being five sets and very long. So happy about today, and we will see what is coming.”
Finally, Sinner was asked about his golf game, with sporting royalty, Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose watching from the stands.
“I am not as good as Carlos [Alcaraz], that’s for sure, in golf,” he said.
“I’m very sure, if you would lay a golf ball, I would hit everything except the ball, so still, a little to improve.
“But of course, a huge honour to play in front of you, and all of you.
“A lot of tennis players play a lot of golf, I play more just to enjoy, some take it a little bit more seriously, but I’m very happy with how I handle it.”
Who will Jannik Sinner play in the third round?
Next up for Sinner is the American Jenson Brooksby.
The 25-year-old won his first two matches in straight sets against Aleksandar Vukic and Ignacio Buse.
Finishing his match while Sinner was locked in battle with Borges, Brooksby was asked to comment on their potential third-round clash during his press conference.
“It would probably be one of the couple toughest challenges right now in tennis, just for how he’s consistently been winning Slams or big events,” said Brooksby.
“But I think I’m always someone who loves that challenge and, you know, it’s obviously one of the toughest challenges in tennis. But I never doubt my ability to be able to beat someone.
“There is nothing more I love than being able to be on these big show courts in big matches, as it goes further in the Slams. I’m just excited and grateful for the opportunity, and just hope to keep it going.”
If Brooksby can pull off the upset against Sinner, he will reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam for just the second time in his career.
Brooksby and Sinner will contest their third-round match on Friday, July 3.
