John McEnroe hasn’t changed his mind about Jannik Sinner: “Just what we needed”

Jannik Sinner kicked off Wimbledon with two harder-fought-than-expected victories over Miomir Keckmanovic and Nuno Borges in the early rounds of the London Grand Slam. The Italian champion, relentless on serve with over 50 aces in two matches, struggled to adjust to the London grass after a nearly one-month break, and his level of play is not yet on par with that of a world No. 1 and defending champion.

John McEnroe, speaking to the BBC, nevertheless confirmed Sinner as the top favorite to win the tournament: “Actually, the match against Borges was an excellent test for him; he faced an opponent who was playing at the top of his game. He gave him a real run for his money, forcing him to give it his all, and despite his current form, Sinner won all three sets.”

“It really looked like it was going to go to a fourth set when Borges served to win the second, but for me, that’s exactly what was needed. Sinner is very competitive; his level has risen, so that’s a good sign for him. He remains the number one favorite—there’s no doubt about that—although there’s a small crack in his armor; we saw it in France, in Paris.”

According to McEnroe, the problem at Roland Garros was largely mental: “It was due to mental factors—nerves. And then there’s his fair skin and the difficulty with the heat, a problem that affects many people.”

At a press conference, Sinner himself shed light on what happened in Paris, admitting that the problem could resurface: “We’ve figured out what happened at Roland Garros. It could happen again because, in the end, there isn’t a simple ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution—it’s a bit more complex than that. But yes, it could happen again. We’re doing everything we can to prevent it.” The South Tyrolean champion then added: “We’re doing everything we can to prevent it from happening again, but if it does happen again, we’ll realize by then that perhaps the path we’ve taken isn’t quite the right one. We’ll see.”