Sinner survives five-set scare against Kecmanovic to open Wimbledon defence

Jannik Sinner’s first Grand Slam outing since his shock defeat at Roland Garros turned into an arduous five-set test on Centre Court, but the Italian eventually subdued Miomir Kecmanovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-3 after three hours and 20 minutes.

Five-set battle on Centre Court

Kecmanovic, an ATP No.51 who had never beaten Sinner in four previous encounters, broke in the ninth game of the opening set and held on to take it 6-4. Sinner responded by claiming the second set with an early break, serving it out comfortably at 6-3. The third set became a seesaw struggle filled with high-intensity rallies and 18 aces from the world No.1, but a dramatic fall added an unforeseen layer of tension.

Injury scare in the third set

While scrambling at the baseline in the third set, Sinner slipped and tumbled. Almost immediately a red stain bloomed across the toecap of his white right shoe. He rose, finished the game, and refused a physio visit. The tie-break that followed stayed tight, and Kecmanovic capitalised on his set point to seal it 8-6 despite Sinner’s resistance.

Sinner: “It looks worse than it is”

After the match the Italian was quick to dismiss alarm over the blood.

“I’m fine with the foot, it looks worse than it is. It’s just a toenail and I didn’t even want to bother Kecmanovic, I didn’t want to take time stopping the match.”

He admitted he was surprised officials had allowed him to continue given the contrast on the all-white dress code.

The injury did not slow him. Sinner dominated the fourth set 6-2, then opened the fifth with a break and closed out the match with minimal drama. He conceded later that the tension of returning as defending champion after 32 days without a competitive match had been palpable at the start.

Opening day without Alcaraz

The 2026 Championships are missing Carlos Alcaraz, sidelined by a right-wrist injury and not contesting any grass-court events. Novak Djokovic, also returning after an early Roland Garros exit, expressed confidence in being “better prepared” than in Paris and faced Wu Yibing. Italy’s Luciano Darderi overcame recent tonsil surgery to play Ethan Quinn, while Elisabetta Cocciaretto took on Wang Xinyu. Aryna Sabalenka joined Sinner as the ceremonial first match on Centre Court.