John McEnroe speaks bluntly about Jannik Sinner: “He comes first…”
Wimbledon is set to begin in a few days, and American tennis legend John McEnroe has shared his predictions ahead of the season’s third Grand Slam, which will be played on the grass courts of London. Jannik Sinner arrives at the prestigious tournament as the defending champion, and he has no intention of giving up his title.
“In the men’s draw, there’s no doubt who the favorite is: Jannik Sinner,” McEnroe told Sportsboom in no uncertain terms, adding that he doesn’t believe what happened at Roland Garros will affect the world’s number-one Italian player. “He remains the clear favorite. And right now, I’d put Novak Djokovic as the second favorite, because I think he played pretty well in Paris, even though he lost early. But I think he played three quality matches, and that will give him confidence.”
McEnroe, on the other hand, is very skeptical about Alexander Zverev, the recent Roland Garros champion: “I wouldn’t count him among the favorites. I’d rank Taylor Fritz ahead of him. Fritz just beat him in a very close match. I’d probably also rank Ben Shelton slightly ahead of him. Aside from them, it’s hard to find other favorites. I have a hard time considering Felix Auger-Aliassime a favorite. He’s well-placed in the rankings, but I don’t think he’s that comfortable on grass.” In short, for McEnroe there’s no doubt: “To sum it up, Sinner comes first, then there are all the others.”
Diego Nargiso also shares this confidence in Sinner; in an exclusive interview with Sportal.it, he sought to reassure Italian fans: “I have the same feeling I get before a Grand Slam tournament in which he’s competing. I’m certain he’s ready.” The former Italian tennis player also dismissed the second-round loss at Roland Garros to Juan Manuel Cerundolo as “an isolated incident that in no way diminishes what Jannik has accomplished throughout this period. In fact, that loss—given how it happened—is already in the past.” Among the possible surprises of the tournament, Nargiso singled out the Czech player Jakub Mensik, while also emphasizing that Matteo Berrettini should not be underestimated among the Italian players.
