Sinner Eyes New Opportunities And Challenges At Wimbledon

Jannik Sinner
Jannik Sinner (photo: Wimbledon video)

WIMBLEDON/WASHINGTON, July 1, 2025 (by Michael Dickens)

World No. 1 and top seed Jannik Sinner wasted little time or energy as he got his Wimbledon Championships campaign off to an ideal start by defeating Luca Nardi, 6-4, 6-3, 6-0, in a battle of Italians that took an hour and 48 minutes to begin Day 2 action on No. 1 Court.

The 23-year-old three-time major champion, who recently lost a thrilling, five-set French Open final to Carlos Alcaraz last month after letting slip three championship points, is in search of his first Wimbledon title. He was a semifinalist in 2023 and reached the quarterfinals last year. Sinner has won three of the past six majors.

“I’m very happy to come back here. It’s such a special place for me,” Sinner said during his on-court interview, after improving his 2025 win-loss record to 20-3. “Playing against an Italian is for us very unfortunate, but one has to go through, so I’m happy that it is me. The atmosphere as always is amazing, thanks so much. I know it’s very hot, very humid. I don’t remember the last time it was this weather in London.”

Sinner finished the straight-set victory with 28 total winners – including nine aces – and made 17 unforced errors. He won 89 percent of his first-serve points and faced no break points on his serve. Sinner won 10 of 15 net points, converted five of 13 break points and outpointed Nardi 96-57. He benefited from 33 unforced errors by the 95th-ranked Nardi.

The South Tyrolean improved to 14-0 in tour-level matches against fellow Italians.

“First matches are never easy so I’m very happy about my performance,” Sinner added. “It’s a new tournament, new chances, new challenges. You have one opponent at a time.”

Sinner’s next opponent will be 93rd-ranked Aleksandar Vukic of Australia, who advanced with a 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (5), victory over No. 96 Tseng Chun-Hsin of Taiwan, in three hours and four minutes on Court 5.

Fritz survives 153 mph serve and wins crazy, two-day match

After American No. 1 and fifth-seeded Taylor Fritz rallied to beat Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard of France, 6-7 (6), 6-7 (8), 6-4, 7-6 (6), 6-4, in a first-round match that included an overnight suspension before the fifth set, he managed to keep his wits about him. Considering he survived a 153 miles-per-hour first serve on the third point of the match from his 6-foot-8-inch opponent – fastest in Wimbledon history – Fritz likely was happy to be able to laugh at all.

“A really crazy match,” is how Fritz described his two-day, five-set victory over the 36th-ranked Mpetshi Perricard on No. 1 Court that lasted a total of three hours and 25 minutes. “I thought it was about to be all over last night in the fourth-set tiebreaker,” Fritz said during his on-court interview. “But he came back on me in the first two tiebreakers, so I thought maybe I had one in me. I’m super happy to get through it.”

After Fritz came from two sets-to-none to level the first-round contest at 10:15 p.m. Monday night with the roof closed, the match was suspended because of the 11 p.m. All England Club curfew. Officials were concerned about being able to finish by that time.

Fritz and Mpetshi Perricard resumed mid-afternoon Tuesday with the roof open, after the conclusion of Jannik Sinner’s first-round win over Luca Nardi, and it took all of 35 minutes to complete to match. By the end, the two competitors had accumulated 66 total aces – 37 by Mpetshi Perricard and 29 by Fritz. Fritz, who hit 66 winners to 86 for Mpetshi Perricard, outpointed his opponent 182-163.

“This is a huge, huge week for me, with the recent results on grass,” said Fritz, who won a grass-court tune-up in Eastbourne last week. “So I was thinking about that in this match. It put a lot of pressure on me, because I really didn’t want to go out in the first round.”

Pegula goes from Bad Homburg title to bad Wimbledon defeat

In just 58 minutes, No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula‘s Wimbledon came to an abrupt end. That’s how long it took 116th-ranked Elisabetta Cocciaretto of Italy to defeat the World No. 3 from the United States, 6-2, 6-3, on No. 2 Court.

It was Pegula’s earliest departure at a major in five years – and it came just three days after Pegula won the WTA 500 Bad Homburg Open on grass in Germany, beating Wimbledon eighth seed Iga Swiatek in straight sets in the final. Pegula has been in five WTA Tour finals this season, second only to World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka‘s seven.

Pegula, a quarterfinalist at Wimbledon two years ago, was limited to just five winners while committing 24 unforced errors. She was outpointed by Cocciaretto 56-35.

“This is definitely probably the worst result I’ve had all year,” she said during her post-match news conference. “For this to happen today, it’s disappointing. I don’t know how else to put it. I’m upset that I wasn’t able to turn anything around. But at the same time, I do feel like [Elisabetta] played kind of insane. Hats off to her. Kudos to her for playing at a high level that I couldn’t match it today.”

Meanwhile, after missing last year’s Wimbledon due to pneumonia, Cocciaretto is happy to be healthy and playing good tennis, again.

“I’m really grateful that no I can play, that now I’m in this big tournament, big stage. So yeah, I’m just enjoying it,” Cocciaretto said during her post-match news conference.

Rinderknech garners biggest win of his career

Unheralded Arthur Rinderknech of France, ranked 72nd, pulled of his biggest upset of his pro career – and it came at a very opportune time. The 29-year-old Frenchman, who had only one other career win at Wimbledon, in 2024, sent World No. 3 and third seed Alexander Zverev of Germany to his earliest exit at a Grand Slam tournament since 2019 – also at Wimbledon – and at four hours and 44 minutes, it’s the longest match of this British fortnight.

Rinderknech prevailed with a 7-6 (3), 6-7 (8), 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-4 first-round victory Tuesday evening in a match that was suspended at a set each Monday night due to curfew. He won on his third match-point opportunity after he fired a crosscourt backhand winner that capped a 19-shot rally. Rinderknech collapsed to the ground and covered his face in joyful celebration. Then, he returned to his feet and basked in the roar of the crowd celebrating his first Top 5 victory.

“I don’t even know where to start,” Rinderknech said during his on-court interview, asked to describe how he felt after winning the marathon battle. “I’ll start for sure with the crowd. I’m feeling the same way as you guys. This ‘Woo!’ Every time, I’m dying every time you guys are saying ‘Woo!’

“My legs are still shaking. I can’t do this anymore. … I’m just happy that the match is finished.

“It’s very difficult, this sport. … But what a moment, such emotion.”

The victory continued a good run of form by Rinderknech, who reached the quarterfinals at Queen’s Club two weeks ago, where he beat Americans Ben Shelton and Reilly Opelka.

Although Zverev has reached the fourth round at Wimbledon three times, including last year, he’s never gone further. Last year, he bowed to Taylor Fritz in five sets. This time, he became the fourth Top 10 player to exit after the first round, joining No. 7 seed Lorenzo Musetti of Italy, No. 8 seed Holger Rune of Denmark and No. 9 seed Daniil Medvedev of Russia.

“You can’t really be in control when you play someone like Sasha Zverev, the World No. 3,” Rinderknech said. “He has been at the top for so many years. It’s my first Top 5 win, and in the biggest stadium in the world.”

In a battle of big-hitting right-handers, Rinderknech finished with 79 winners – including 25 aces. He won 79 percent of his first-serve points, 44 of 55 net-point exchanges, and converted three of 12 break points. Rinderknech saved all nine break points he faced from Zverev, who countered with 71 winners – including 31 aces – and won 76 percent of his first-serve points.

“I think generally he played a fantastic match,” Zverev said of Rinderknech during his post-match news conference. “I’m not sure he’s ever played a match like that in his life. … I let go of the match in the fifth set.”

Rinderknech outpointed Zverev 185-178 to advance to the second round. Next, he will face No. 110 Cristian Garin of Chile, who defeated 163rd-ranked qualifier Chris Rodesch of Luxembourg, 7-6 (8), 6-4, 6-4, on Monday.

Around the All England Club

After a crazy Opening Day to the 138th Wimbledon Championships on Monday – including record temperatures, Carlos Alcaraz surviving a four-hour, 37-minute match on Centre Court against the soon-to-be-retired 38-year-old Fabio Fognini on a 10-match losing streak – what could possibly top that?

How about another scorcher of a day at the All England Club, where temperatures by the middle of the afternoon reached 94º Fahrenheit (34º Celsius). The roofs were open on Centre Court and No. 1 Court and the sunshine splashed across the manicured green lawns. Although the forecast for the remainder of the week looks much kinder and gentler for players and the fans, who are packing both the show courts and outer courts, there were still long and eventful matches – and more than just a few surprising outcomes on Day 2 of the Championships.

• Twice a champion in 2011 and 2014, the Wimbledon career of Petra Kvitova ended in a first-round defeat against Emma Navarro Tuesday afternoon. Kvitova’s impact and legacy will remain long after she walked off No. 1 Court for the final time in her momentous and happy career.

The 35-year-old Kvitova from Czechia, who returned from maternity leave earlier this season after the 2024 birth of her son Petr, played the final Wimbledon match of her career on No. 1 Court and lost to the No. 10 seed Navarro from the United States, 6-3, 6-1, in one hour. She lost 11 of the last 12 games. It closed the book on her 16th Wimbledon appearance.

Despite being outpointed 59-35, Kvitova was upbeat as she received the plaudits of the crowd for the final time at the All England Club. The former World No. 2 announced recently that she will retire from pro tennis following the US Open. She was the only non-British player – man or woman – who was given a wild card into this year’s Championships.

In an on-court interview after the match, Kvitova smiled and spoke from the heart, saying she enjoyed a “beautiful atmosphere” on No. 1 Court.

“To have another chance to play here one more time, it means a lot to me,” Kvitova said. “This place holds the best memories I could wish for. I never dreamed of winning a Wimbledon, and I won it twice, so this is something very, very special.

“I will miss Wimbledon for sure. I will miss tennis, I will miss the fans, but I’m ready for the next chapter in life as well.”

Kvitova ended her Wimbledon career with a 38-14 record in main-draw matches.

• No. 6 seed Novak Djokovic fought through an early scare from Frenchman Alexandre Muller, then pulled through a stomach bug that required medical attention Tuesday night on Centre Court. By the end of of his three-hour, 19-minute tussle with the 41st-ranked Muller, the 38-year-old Serbian icon prevailed with a 6-1, 6-7 (7), 6-2, 6-2 first-round victory.

“I went from feeling my absolute best for a set and a half to my absolute worst for about 45 minutes,” Djokovic said during his on-court interview. “Whether it was a stomach bug, I struggled with that, but then the energy kicked back after the doctor’s miracle pills and I managed to finish the match on a good note.”

With his latest win at Wimbledon, Djokovic improved to 20-0 in opening-round matches at the All England Club, where he’s collected seven of his 24 career major titles.

• Among the seeded men to advance to the second round were: No. 10 Ben Shelton of the United States, No. 11 Alex de Minaur of Australia, No. 13 Tommy Paul of the United States, No. 15 Jakub Mensik of Czechia, No. 19 Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria, No. 21 Tomas Machac of Czechia, and No. 22 Flavio Cobolli of Italy.

• Among the seeded women to advance to the second round were: No. 7 Mirra Andreeva of Russia, No. 8 Iga Swiatek of Poland, No. 11 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, No. 16 Daria Kasatkina of Australia, No. 18 Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia, No. 19 Liudmila Samsonova of Russia, No. 23 Clara Tauson of Denmark, and No. 28 Sofia Kenin of the United States.

• Like Monday, there were plenty of upsets involving seeded players in both men’s and women’s draws. Among those to bow in the first round on Tuesday were:

Men – No. 7 Lorenzo Musetti of Italy, who fell to 126th-ranked qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1, in two hours and 25 minutes on No. 2 Court; No. 18 Ugo Humbert of France, who was defeated by No. 48 Gaël Monfils, 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-2, in three hours and 57 minutes on Court 12 in an all-French tussle; No. 27 Denis Shapovalov of Canada, who lost to No. 91 Mariano Navone of Argentina, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-4, in two hours and 28 minutes on Court 17; No. 28 Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan, who lost to No. 55 Jaume Munar of Spain, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2, in three hours and 24 minutes on. Court 14; and No. 30 Alex Michelsen of the United States, who was defeated by No. 49 Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (6), in three hours and 13 minutes on Court 4.

Women – No. 2 Coco Gauff of the United States, who was stunned by No. 42 Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine, 7-6 (3), 6-1, in 79 minutes on No. 1 Court, just three weeks after winning the French Open; No. 3 Jessica Pegula of the United States, who lost 6-2, 6-3 to No. 116 Elisabetta Cocciaretto of Italy (see above); No. 5 Zheng Qinwen of China, who fell to No. 81 Katerina Siniakova of Czechia, 7-5, 4-6, 6-1, in two hours and 25 minutes on No. 3 Court; No. 15 Karolina Muchova of Czechia, who was defeated by No. 32 Wang Xinyu of China, 7-5, 6-2, in 85 minutes on Court 15; No. 25 Magdalena Frech of Poland, who lost to 97th-ranked lucky loser Victoria Mboko of Canada, 6-3, 6-2, in 73 minutes on Court 10; No. 26 Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine, who lost to No. 171st-ranked qualifier Veronika Erjavec of Slovenia, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, in two hours and five minutes on Court 16; and No. 27 Magda Linette of Poland, who was defeated by No. 113 Elsa Jacquemot of France, 6-7 (7), 6-1, 6-4, in two hours and 36 minutes on Court 11.

• It’s an honor that’s accorded each and every reigning women’s singles champion, opening Centre Court play on Day 2 of the Championships. On Tuesday afternoon at 1:30 p.m., Barbora Krejcikova of Czechia began her title defense against 20-year-old lefty Alexandra Eala of the Philippines and won, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, in two hours and 10 minutes. By advancing to the second round, the 29-year-old Krejcikova kept Eala from attaining her fourth Top-20 win of the season.

Among those in the Royal Box to watch Day 2 action were Australian actress Cate Blanchett, who portrayed Queen Elizabeth I in the 1998 period drama film Elizabeth. Also, English pro golfer and Olympic gold medalist Justin Rose; tennis mothers Judy Murray (Andy and Jamie Murray) and Jane Henman (Tim Henman); Australian actor Russell Crowe and British race car driver Sir Jackie Stewart.

Tuesday’s Wimbledon results

Wednesday’s Wimbledon order of play

By the numbers

With seven first-round wins on Monday – three by British women and four by British men – it was the most successful day for the Brit’s at Wimbledon in the Open Era. The winners included: Emma Raducanu, Katie Boulter, Sonay Kartal, Cameron Norrie, Billy Harris, Arthur Fery and Oliver Tarvet.

Tarvet, 21, a 733rd-ranked qualifier, defeated 503rd-ranked Swiss qualifier Leandro Riedi, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, to earn a second-round berth against two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz of Spain.

British No. 1 Jack Draper headlined a contingent of nine Brits in action on Day 2. The fourth-seeded Draper advanced with an abbreviated 6-2, 6-2, 2-1 win by retirement over No. 38 Sebastian Baez that ended after 74 minutes on No. 1 Court. However, the only other British wins were by former British No. 1 Daniel Evans, now ranked No. 154, who defeated No. 196 Jay Clarke, 6-1, 7-5, 6-2, in a skirmish between British wild cards that lasted two hours and 14 minutes on Court 12; and by 281st-ranked wild cards Jack Pinnington Jones, who upset No. 53 Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Argentina, 7-6 (4), 6-3, 7-5, in two hours and 36 minutes on Court 17.

“Quotable …”

• “It’s a new tournament. New chances, new challenges. You have one opponent at a time, so I’m very happy about today. Obviously, I try to keep going and try to enjoy playing here. If you don’t enjoy playing on these courts, I don’t know where you are going to enjoy it. I’m very happy to be here and let’s see what comes.”

– World No. 1 and top seed Jannik Sinner of Italy, during his on-court interview Tuesday after defeating 95th-ranked Luca Nardi of Italy to advance to the second round on Thursday against No. 93 Aleksandar Vukic of Australia.

• ‘I’m super happy to be back healthy and competing at this beautiful tournament. I was really depressed last year that I couldn’t feel this atmosphere. … Tough match, tough win. I’m grateful to be here and I feel I’m in a good place.”

– World No. 1 and top seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, during her on-court interview Monday after defeating 194th-ranked Canadian qualifier Carson Branstine to advance to the second round on Wednesday against No. 48 Marie Bouzkova of Czechia.

 

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