Jannik Sinner looks to bury Roland Garros demons in bid for 1st Wimbledon title
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 WIMBLEDONadvertisementIt 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 LONDONNow, 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.advertisementIf 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 finalRound One: Luca NardiRound Two: Aleksandar VukicRound Threee: Denis ShapovalovRound Four: Tommy Paul/Grigor DimitrovQuarter-final: Lorenzo Musetti/Ben SheltonSemi-final: Jack Draper/Novak DjokovicFinal: Carlos AlcarazREADY TO PLAYSinner 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.'advertisementWell, 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
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NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
Wimbledon: Third Seed Alexander Zverev Suffers Stunning Exit, Petra Kvitova's Farewell Ends In Defeat
United Kingdom: Alexander Zverev suffered his earliest Grand Slam exit since 2019 as the German third seed was stunned by France's Arthur Rinderknech in the Wimbledon first round on Tuesday. Zverev, a three-time Grand Slam runner-up, slipped to a shock 7-6 (7/3), 6-7 (8/10), 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 6-4 defeat against the world number 72 in a marathon clash lasting four hours and 40 minutes on Centre Court. The 28-year-old is the highest-ranked seed to fall so far in this year's men's singles at the All England Club. Zverev, who reached the Australian Open final in January, endured his latest Wimbledon flop in a tie that initially started on Monday evening. When play was halted due to Wimbledon's 2200 GMT curfew, the match was level at one-set all. But Rinderknech seized his chance once play resumed in the blazing London heat on Tuesday afternoon. Rinderknech hit 25 aces and although Zverev replied with 31 of his own, it was not enough to stave off an embarrassing defeat. Zverev has failed to make it past the fourth round at Wimbledon in nine visits to the grass-court major. He had reached at least the second round in his previous 20 Grand Slam appearances. Olympic champion out Zheng Qinwen admitted she was not focused enough after the Chinese Olympic champion slumped to a shock first-round Wimbledon defeat against world number 81 Katerina Siniakova on Tuesday. Zheng exited in the opening round for a third straight year, losing 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 to the unheralded Czech in two hours and 25 minutes in searing heat on Court Three. It is the fourth time in her past six Grand Slam appearances that Zheng has failed to get past the third round, a barren run interrupted by quarter-final runs at the 2024 US Open and this year's French Open. "I should do better in my service games. I was leading 5-3 in the first set and my concentration was not there. I gave her the game so easily. It's a pity," Zheng said. "On grass you don't get too many chances to come back. I should have taken my chances better but I'm not going to let this enter my mind. It's just one match I lost at Wimbledon. "I made a lot of mistakes. I made the match complicated. The weather was very hot but I believe I should have been more focused on the court. Maybe I should work more to be focused in the heat." After finishing as Australian Open runner-up to Aryna Sabalenka last year, Zheng won Olympic gold on the Paris clay in August, beating Donna Vekic in the final. The 22-year-old, sixth in the WTA rankings, has fared less well on the grass courts of south-west London. Following her latest Wimbledon flop against Siniakova, the Chinese star has never been past the third round in four visits to the All England Club. Kvitova Knocked Out Petra Kvitova's Wimbledon farewell ended in an emotional defeat as the two-time champion was beaten 6-3, 6-1 by Emma Navarro in the first round on Tuesday. Kvitova returned from maternity leave in February following the birth of her son Petr in 2024, but found it difficult to handle the demands of being a mother on the gruelling tennis circuit. The 35-year-old Czech announced last week that she will bring the curtain down on her career after the US Open in August. Kvitova's decision gave the former world number two, who has won 31 titles in her career, one last opportunity to return to the scene of her Wimbledon triumphs. But American 10th seed Navarro ruined her hopes of a long Wimbledon goodbye with a clinical 60-minute victory on Court One. Kvitova could not hold back the tears when she was given a standing ovation by the crowd, responding with a wave before drying her eyes. "It's very special to play on this beautiful court one more time. I wish I could play a little bit longer but it's OK, whatever" she said as more tears flowed. "This place holds the best memories I could wish for. I never dreamt of winning Wimbledon. "I will miss Wimbledon for sure, I will miss tennis but I'm ready for the next chapter as well. "I can't wait to be back here as a member. Thank you very much Wimbledon." A raw 21-year-old when she stunned Maria Sharapova to win the 2011 Wimbledon final, three years later Kvitova returned to the All England Club title match to rout Eugenie Bouchard 6-3, 6-0. Now ranked 572, Kvitova has lost eight of her nine matches since becoming a parent. But she says Wimbledon means "everything to me", an emotional connection forged not just in her tennis triumphs but also because her engagement to her coach Jiri Vanek took place on Centre Court in 2022. She rolled back the years at the start of the first set, racing into a 3-1 lead with a series of blistering winners. But the left-hander is no longer the force of old and she lost five games in a row with a host of unforced errors as Navarro took the set. By the time Kvitova lost the first two games of the second set, her fate was almost sealed. She managed one last echo of yesteryear, holding serve in the third game and celebrating with a clenched fist. That show of defiance was Kvitova's final fling as a double-fault finished her All England Club career. She bowed out with a kiss to her family in the players' box before leaving the Wimbledon stage for the last time.
News18
an hour ago
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Barbora Krejcikova Toughs It Out In Wimbledon Opener, Alexander Zverev Ousted
Last Updated: Krejcikova and Sinner advance at Wimbledon; Zverev and Pegula face early exits. Defending champion Barbora Krejcikova came from a set down to win her Wimbledon opener on Tuesday, while men's top seed Jannik Sinner had an easy win against compatriot Luca Nardi in the searing London heat. Day 2 at the All England Club saw high-profile exits as men's third seed Alexander Zverev and women's third seed Jessica Pegula were ousted from the grass-court major. Novak Djokovic had to wait until the evening to make his return to Centre Court as he aims for a record 25th Grand Slam title. Krejcikova arrived at Wimbledon with just six matches played in 2025 and was in serious trouble after losing the first set to Philippines star Alexandra Eala. The former rebounded, reduced her errors and won 3-6, 6-2, 6-1. Since beating Italy's Jasmine Paolini in the 2024 final, Krejcikova has faced a challenging period. She was sidelined until May because of a back injury and was eliminated in the second round of the recent French Open. Krejcikova withdrew from last week's Eastbourne Open before the quarters with a thigh issue. 'I was in a lot of pain in my back, and I didn't know how my career was going to go. I'm super happy and super excited that I can be here and play on such a great court. I was excited for this day, and before the match, I was counting every minute until the match started," Krejcikova said after the win. Men's world no. 1 Sinner beat Nardi on Court 1. Unaffected by the scorching conditions, the former bagged a 6-4, 6-3, 6-0 victory over Nardi. 'I'm very happy to come back here to such a special place for me. Playing an Italian is very unfortunate, but one has to go through and luckily it was me," Sinner said after the match. Sinner has won three of his past six Grand Slams but squandered a two-set lead and three match points against Carlos Alcaraz in June's French Open final. Djokovic's Wimbledon campaign starts against France's Alexandre Muller, ranked 41 in the world. The former, who has reached every Wimbledon final in the last seven years, has just played Muller once, conceding just five games en route to the 2023 US Open title. At 38, Djokovic knows time is running out as Alcaraz and Sinner dominate the men's game. Djokovic has been tied with long-retired Margaret Court at 24 major singles titles for the last two years, but he believes his best opportunity for a historic 25th victory is at the All England Club. Djokovic, who lost the past two Wimbledon finals to Alcaraz, aims to equal Roger Federer's record of eight men's titles at the All England Club. Former US Open runner-up Pegula suffered a surprising loss to Italy's Elisabetta Cocciaretto, losing 6-2, 6-3 in less than an hour. She was followed out of the tournament by Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen. Five-time major winner Iga Swiatek beat Russia's Polina Kudermetova 7-5, 6-1 and second seed Coco Gauff, fresh from her French Open win, prepared to face Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska. Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, given a wildcard to compete, lost 6-3, 6-1 in an emotional farewell to United States 10th seed Emma Navarro. In the men's draw, Zverev experienced his earliest major exit in six years, losing to France's Arthur Rinderknech in a five-set marathon that started on Monday evening. Fifth-seed Taylor Fritz bagged a five-set victory over France's Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in a match that began on Day 1. British fourth seed Jack Draper advanced when Argentina's Sebastian Baez retired with the score at 6-2, 6-2, 2-1. (With AFP Inputs)
NDTV
2 hours ago
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Fifth Seed Zheng Qinwen Loses To Katerina Siniakova, Crashes Out Of Wimbledon
The Championships continued to be rocked by upsets on Day 2 as Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic stunned fifth seed Zheng Qinwen of China in the women's singles first round at Wimbledon on Tuesday. The Czech player advanced to the next round with a 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 win at the All-England Club. With 10 women's doubles Grand Slam titles in her pocket, Siniakova, 29, is trying to make new breakthroughs in the singles and showed a lot of resilience to win the first set 7-5, reports Xinhua. After the 22-year-old Zheng bounced back to secure victory in the second set 6-4, Siniakova dominated the final set with a 5-0 start and sealed the win at 6-1. Interestingly, this is Siniakova's first top 10 win since beating Qinwen on grass last season. She is now 3-0 against Qinwen on grass. Siniakova will next meet Japan's Naomi Osaka in the second round. Meanwhile, another Chinese player Wang Xinyu cruised past Czech Republic's Karolina Muchova in two straight sets 7-5, 6-2 to reach the women's singles second round here on Tuesday. The 23-year-old Chinese player continued her good form in the Berlin Open, where she reached her first WTA Tour final by defeating four top-20 players in a row. In other first-round matches, Danielle Collins of the United States defeated Camila Osorio of Colombia 6-3, 6-2; Maria Sakkari of Greece defeated Anna Blinkova 6-4. 6-4 while Caty McNally of the United States got the better of Jodie Burrage 6-3, 6-1. Earlier in the day, Elisabetta Cocciaretto of Italy delivered the biggest upset of the 2025 Wimbledon so far, ousting No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula 6-2, 6-3 in just 58 minutes in a women's singles first-round match here on Tuesday. The result was the quickest defeat of a Top 5 seed at a major since Jule Niemeier's 58-minute 6-4, 6-0 defeat of Anett Kontaveit in the second round of Wimbledon 2022, as per WTA. Cocciaretto took the ball relentlessly early to redirect all of the Americans' pace, tallying 17 winners to Pegula's five. She also served flawlessly, conceding just eight points in total behind her delivery, and did not face a break point during the match -- while capturing Pegula's serve three times.
