It seemed like Jannik Sinner was all set to claim his first French Open title on June 8. He was two sets up, and although Carlos Alcaraz managed to pull one back, the World No. 1 looked destined for victory in the fourth set when he held three match points. But fate had other plans for the 23-year-old. Alcaraz mounted a stunning comeback, handing Sinner a heartbreaking loss and leaving the Italian stunned, forced to lick his wounds.
It was one of the few dips in an otherwise roller-coaster year for Sinner, who heads into Wimbledon with the assurance that his position at the top of the ATP rankings is safe, regardless of the outcome at the Championships. Perhaps that’s why he remarked, “I am very happy,” upon arriving in London.
The year began with back-to-back success at the Australian Open, continuing his dominance on hard courts. But a dark cloud loomed in the form of a potential doping ban — one that could have drastically altered the trajectory of his career. Though Sinner did receive a ban, it was a reduced one that ensured he wouldn’t miss any of the Grand Slams.
Now, he arrives at Wimbledon with a whirlwind of pressure and scrutiny surrounding him — despite his calm and humble demeanor on and off the court.
SHAKE-UP BEFORE WIMBLEDON
It is surprising to see someone make changes to their coaching personnel just before a major grand slam. And that’s exactly what Sinner did as he stunned everyone, including Novak Djokovic. The Italian parted ways with fitness trainer Marco Panichi and physiotherapist Ulises Badio, after a nine-month stint.
Panichi and Badio achieved success with Djokovic in the past, but Sinner didn’t think twice before letting them go. He said, in an unruffled tone, that he wanted to do something different.
“Nothing major happened, nothing big,” he said, unruffled. “Nothing crazy happened. It’s not affecting me. I feel ready to compete. I feel free. We reached some incredible goals with them [including this year’s Australian Open crown] so obviously huge thanks to them, but I decided to do something different after Halle.”
This decision at Halle came after he lost to Alexander Bublik, thereby ending his title defence.
A TOUGH TEST IN LONDON
Now, Sinner’s best performance at Wimbledon came two years ago when he made it to the semis. He will be looking to better that for sure, but his road to the final won’t be easy. He will start off with a test against compatriot Luca Nardi. After that he could face Denis Shapovalov in third round, Grigor Dimitrov or Tommy Paul in the fourth.
If he does make it to the quarters, well Lorenzo Musetti could be waiting for an all-Italian clash. The semi-final could be against the paging warhorse Novak Djokovic. If he crosses that hurdle, then Carlos Alcaraz could wait for him in the final.
Sinner has had nine losses since 2024 and five of them have been against the Spaniard.
Sinner’s projected path to Wimbledon final
- Round One: Luca Nardi
- Round Two: Aleksandar Vukic
- Round Threee: Denis Shapovalov
- Round Four: Tommy Paul/Grigor Dimitrov
- Quarter-final: Lorenzo Musetti/Ben Shelton
- Semi-final: Jack Draper/Novak Djokovic
- Final: Carlos Alcaraz
READY TO PLAY
Sinner has said he means business this time around and isn’t thinking about the past.
“I feel ready to play,” he said. “What happened in the past is in the past already. Especially mentally, I feel in a very good spot. I feel like that I’m playing great, great tennis on grass. I’m just looking forward to go on court and to compete and enjoy it.”
While the Italian admitted that the tranistion to grass is a tough one for him, he showed his positive mindset by claiming he feels ready to compete again.
“I had some time off before coming here,” he said. “I feel ready to compete again. I’m here to play good tennis.”
Well, he will have to play his best tennis as well as he may have to stop his Spanish kryptonite if he wants to take home the Wimbledon title with him.
– Ends
