Jannik Sinner kicked off his Wimbledon title defense with a scare, ultimately securing a five-set victory over Miomir Kecmanovic (4-6, 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-3). The grueling match lasted three and a half hours, with the world No. 1 clinching the win by taking the final two sets. Sinner admitted he wasn’t playing his best tennis, making 52 unforced errors. This was before a significant moment when he slipped and fell on the grass.
Sinner appeared to be in pain and possibly injured his knee due to the unnatural bending of his legs. However, he got back up and refused to take a medical timeout. Following his fall, red stains appeared on his right foot, spreading onto his white shoe.
During his post-match press conference, Sinner explained that the issue was simply a toenail. “I’m fine. It just looks a lot worse than it is. Actually, I’m very surprised they let me keep playing because… my shoe, which was all white, became a bit red. It’s just a nail,” the Italian stated. He opted not to change his shoes to maintain the match’s rhythm, and he did not change them during the breaks between sets either.
“I didn’t want to disturb Miomir. I think we both had a good rhythm. It was a great match from both of us. I didn’t want to waste time.” Jannik Sinner is scheduled to face Nuno Borges on Wednesday.