Jannik Sinner laughs it off, the shot after advancing to the quarterfinals

“The most important thing right now is to rest,” he says, bursting into laughter. Jannik Sinner knows full well that, at a Grand Slam, over the course of two intense weeks, rest is essential. The match against Mochizuki ended just past 10:00 p.m. in London. He hadn’t expected to play so late, and he was lucky the match didn’t go beyond three sets. The world No. 1 was facing the Japanese player—ranked No. 151 and the big surprise of this Wimbledon—for the first time.

After the match, he had nothing but praise for his opponent: “He’s an incredible player. Coming up through qualifying and playing at such a high level for so long. It’s incredible; I wish him nothing but the best. He should be proud of himself and, of course, of his entire team.”

Sinner then also thanked the crowd at Center Court: “Thank you to the crowd for staying so long! I tried to be aggressive; in the second set, I didn’t capitalize on all the opportunities I had. Struff in the quarterfinals? He’s an aggressive player, but now it’s important to rest. I’ve faced him a couple of times before, and the last time was right here on grass, in Halle.”