Defending champion Sinner comes back to beat Kecmanovic in 5 sets in 1st round of Wimbledon

Jannik Sinner of Italy celebrates winning the men's singles match against Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia during at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, June 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

LONDON -- Defending champion Jannik Sinner had to come back from a set down twice and regain his composure following a worrisome tumble to the grass in a five-set victory over 50th-ranked Miomir Kecmanovic in the first round of Wimbledon on Monday.

A month after his French Open meltdown, the top-ranked Sinner produced a 4-6, 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-2, 6-3 win that lasted 3 hours and 30 minutes in the honorary opening match on Centre Court reserved for the past year’s men’s singles champion.

Sinner said he was “a little tight in the beginning,” noting that it was his first grass-court match of the season.

“I’m happy that I turned it around,” Sinner said.

Lleyton Hewitt, the 2002 champion, remains the only Wimbledon men’s singles winner in the professional era (since 1968) to have lost in the first round the following year. The Australian was defeated by Ivo Karlovic in his 2003 opener.

Sinner hadn’t played an official match since he struggled with dizziness during a heat wave at Roland Garros, where after being within one game of concluding his second-round match in straight sets, he was beaten by Juan Manuel Cerundolo in five.

The match with Kecmanovic was played in ideal conditions, with sunny skies and the temperature 24 C (75 Fahrenheit).

Sinner is a big favorite to repeat as Wimbledon champion since his main rival Carlos Alcaraz, who he beat in last year’s final, is missing the championships due to a right wrist injury.

Sinner felt the pressure from the honors reserved for the defending champion.

“It was a very, very different feeling,” he said. “There’s a lot of nerves when you go down the stairs behind the court. Also mentally knowing it’s such a prestige court and such a historical court.”

Early in the third set, Sinner drew a loud applause when he executed a sliced stop-volley drop shot that was so good Kecmanovic didn’t even run for it. But in the same game, Sinner then fell hard to the grass when he lost his footing trying to change directions. He went down on his knees and fell backwards grimacing in pain as he grasped what appeared to be his left hip area. But he quickly got up and resumed playing.

As the match wore on, Sinner appeared to be bleeding through his right shoe.

“I’m good,” Sinner said. “It just seems much worse than it is. … It’s just a nail.”

Kecmanovic saved a set point in the third-set tiebreaker with a wild point that ended with Sinner down on the ground again after he first retrieved a short ball and then retreated to run down a ball over his shoulder into the corner. It evened the tiebreaker at 6-6 and Sinner and Kecmanovic slapped hands on the ensuing change of ends as the players appeared to appreciate each other’s effort.

Two points later, a backhand from Sinner sailed long and Kecmanovic had a two-sets-to-one lead.

“The third set,” Sinner said, “was a very tough one to swallow.”

But Sinner cleaned up his game in the final two sets.

When Sinner held for a 5-2 lead in the fifth, David Beckham in the Royal Box was among the spectators taking part in a Centre Court wave.

Sinner has now won all five of his career meetings with Kecmanovic but this one was nothing like a straight-sets victory in the third round at Wimbledon in 2024 and the players shared a friendly embrace at the net when it was over.

Sinner produced 72 winners to Kecmanovic’s 20 but also had many more unforced errors: 52 to 33. The serve was a weapon for Sinner, cranking out 31 aces to Kecmanovic’s one.

“We will try to aim for a couple of improvements for the next match,” Sinner said.

Kecmanovic had to regroup recently after Viktor Troicki left him to coach another Serbian -- someone by the name of Novak Djokovic.

In other matches, 12th-seeded Andrey Rublev was beaten by Roman Safiullin 6-4, 6-7 (6), 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (12); and rising Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar, in his Wimbledon debut, beat Felix Gill 6-3, 6-3, 7-5.

In women’s action, Naomi Osaka made another fashion statement by wearing a flowing kimono for her walk-on before a 6-1, 7-5 victory over Elsa Jacquemot; fourth-seeded Jessica Pegula beat Darja Vidmanova 7-5, 6-3; and French Open finalist Maja Chwalinska, who needed a wild-card entry, was beaten 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 by Mananchaya Sawangkaew.

Up next on Centre Court, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka was playing Teodora Kostovic, followed by seven-time champion Djokovic against Wu Yibing.

Serena Williams will play her opening match on Tuesday against 20-year-old Maya Joint of Australia -- marking the first time she competes in singles in nearly four years. Then she’ll play doubles with older sister Venus Williams later in the week.

By Andrew Dampf