Jannik Sinner, jabs and criticism from Spain: “He’s not the same as before”
Jannik Sinner has advanced to the third round of Wimbledon 2026, but his first matches on the London grass have raised more than a few questions. The world No. 1 had to work much harder than expected both in his opening match against Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic—who pushed him to a fifth set after Sinner had led two sets to one—and in the second round against Portuguese Nuno Borges, who managed to force three very close sets. Now the South Tyrolean faces a round of 16 match against American Jenson Brooksby.
Meanwhile, from Spain, some reflections have emerged on the performance of the world No. 1. On the Punto de Break website, journalist Pedro de Pablos analyzed the Italian’s first two matches. “Two matches at Wimbledon were enough for me to state without hesitation that the Sinner we see today is not the same player he was before Roland Garros. My opinion goes far beyond mere results—or the fact that Kecmanovic forced him into a fifth set in his opener—and focuses entirely on his play and the level of confidence he possessed before the well-known physical issues he experienced in Paris.”
“First of all, I want to clarify one thing: Sinner remains the number one favorite to win Wimbledon. In fact, he’s likely to raise his level as he advances through the tournament, which is entirely natural given that this is his first grass-court event of the season. The two things aren’t mutually exclusive. Nevertheless, the player who has taken the court on Wimbledon’s Center Court in recent days appears much more vulnerable than the unstoppable force that, until now, has won every Masters 1000 event of the season, shattering every record.”
“Neither Borges nor Kecmanovic are the kind of players who should pose such a problem for Jannik, yet they did; it all stems from the Italian player’s own doubts. These are the same doubts that plagued him after his loss at the Australian Open and led to his defeat against Jakub Mensik in Doha. At the time, he came under fire, but Sinner responded by winning at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Madrid, and Rome. Sinner is a rock mentally, but missing the chance to complete the Career Grand Slam at Roland Garros due to physical issues must be really hard to swallow.”
“The reality is that, right now—and especially with Carlos Alcaraz out of the picture—Sinner’s biggest rival is himself. Or rather, his physical condition. The medical exams in Milan, the cooling vest he uses in training, the possible heat wave at Wimbledon next week… all of this is causing Jannik concern right now. The others have realized that, on the right day, he can be beaten—something that wasn’t the case until just a few months ago.”
