Story perspectives

Sinner Wins Five-Set Comeback, First Defending Champ Since 2003

6/29/2026

Summary

Sinner Survives

Jannik Sinner beat Miomir Kecmanovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-3 on 29 June 2026, the first defending men’s champion to survive a first-round match since Lleyton Hewitt in 2003.
The three-hour-thirty-minute match saw Sinner rally from two-set deficits, play through blood seeping from his right shoe, and serve 31 aces to Kecmanovic’s one while hitting 72 winners.
Sinner’s victory moves him to face Portugal’s Nuno Borges in the second round.

Summary

Sinner Wins Wimbledon

Jannik Sinner won his 94th Grand Slam at Wimbledon, tying Nicola Pietrangeli for the Italian record.
He entered Wimbledon without any tour-level grass matches, playing only a low-key exhibition versus Cameron Norrie in Fulham.
His French Open run ended after losing a two-set lead to Juan Manuel Cerundolo, snapping a 30-match win streak.
Chair umpire Alison Hughes checked him after he slipped, noting blood from a toenail as he refused a medical timeout.

History

Historical Context

2003 saw defending Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt become the first Open-Era winner to lose in the opening round, a feat matched only by Manuel Santana in 1967 and by two other defending Grand Slam champions (Boris Becker 1997 AO, Patrick Rafter 1999 US Open). In 2026 Jannik Sinner mirrored the rarity by surviving a five-set first-round with 31 aces, prompting the ATP and ITF to examine player-health rules.

1 of 3

Sinner Survives

Jannik Sinner beat Miomir Kecmanovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-3 on 29 June 2026, the first defending men’s champion to survive a first-round match since Lleyton Hewitt in 2003.
The three-hour-thirty-minute match saw Sinner rally from two-set deficits, play through blood seeping from his right shoe, and serve 31 aces to Kecmanovic’s one while hitting 72 winners.
Sinner’s victory moves him to face Portugal’s Nuno Borges in the second round.

1 / 3