The biggest challenger to Jannik Sinner’s bid to defend his Wimbledon crown was always going to be a big Serb – just maybe not this one.
With visible signs of battle including blood stains on his shoe, the World No 1 was given an almighty scare not by 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic but his compatriot Miomir Kecmanovic.
The World No 50 led by two sets to one and looked to have Sinner on the ropes, forcing mistakes and a worrying fall, but was ultimately beaten in a five-set thriller.
‘I am good, (the blood) seems much worse than it is,’ he said. ‘I am surprised they let me keep playing because of the all-white (uniform guidelines). It was a good match from both of us so I didn’t want to disturb and take any time (with a medical time-out).’
Jannik Sinner is into the second round at Wimbledon – but it was a painful route through
Sinner’s Nike shoes were covered in blood seeping through after a fall early in the match
It was a laborious and energy-zapping outing for the World No 1 on his first competitive appearance since he wilted in the Paris heat last month and was knocked out of the French Open in a huge second-round shock by then World No 56 Juan Manuel Cerundolo.
Sinner’s right shoe was stained by red blood and a five-set clash of three hours and 29 minutes was rather unwelcome for a man trying to ease himself into the tournament after having time off following his Roland Garros disappointment.
Sinner celebrates after gritting his teeth to defeat Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic
The Italian recovered well after losing the first set but Kecmanovic soon regained the lead after triumphing in some lengthy rallies on Centre Court, which hosted famous faces such as Sir David Beckham and Dame Mary Berry, both who joined in with the Mexican Wave.
Sinner was in no mood for such pleasantries and feared he might soon wave farewell to SW19 after just one day of his title defence. But he soon settled and breezed through the next two sets to overturn the deficit and win 4-6, 6-3, 6-7, 6-2, 5-3.
Djokovic, who is second favourite behind odds-on Sinner with the bookmakers, was due on Centre Court later on Monday evening to face Wu Yibing.
Sinner, 24, said: ‘It is a huge honour to start the tournament. I was a little flat at the beginning, I did not play my best, it was my first official match on grass (this summer).
‘I am very happy, it is a big honour to play in front of you.
‘Coming back here as defending champion means a lot to me. I am very happy to win the first one, I will plan for a couple of improvements for the next match but I am happy.’
