Jannik Sinner has marched into the second round of Wimbledon. © ANSA / ADAM VAUGHAN

AUDIO | Bumpy start and Berrettini duel: This is what Sinner says

Things didn't go well in Jannik Sinner's first match at Wimbledon on Monday evening. He had to fight for three hours before Yannick Hanfmann's resistance was broken. Before the clash against Matteo Berrettini, Sinner knows he has to step it up a notch.

July 02, 2024

From: leo

Flashback: Two weeks ago, Sinner struggled to get into the ATP 500 tournament in Halle. He lost a set in each of the first three rounds, and even had to go into the decisive tiebreak against Jan-Lennard Struff. The many hours on the tennis court proved to be extremely instructive, as the grass court game requires a particularly long period of adjustment. In Wimbledon, the 22-year-old will find the conditions changed again, because they are slower. In view of this, it is understandable that the engine was not yet running XNUMX percent smoothly.

In the first sets, Sinner slipped several times and couldn't find his footing on the slippery surface. Towards the end of the match, his movements - and thus his shots - were much more rounded. "It's grass, you can't always have everything under control," said Sinner. after the match. "I have a day off tomorrow. It's about finding the rhythm."

Here Sinner answers questions in an audio interview:

The fact that Sinner had to work harder than expected was also due to his opponent. Hanfmann played aggressively and made only a few mistakes.

On Wednesday against Berrettini

"He played very quickly and served excellently. If you get a break early in the set, it's difficult to catch up," Sinner said in tribute to Hanfmann. The Sextner knows that he has to raise his level in the second round, as he will be facing none other than Matteo Berrettini on Wednesday. The injury-plagued Italian has a win rate of over 80 percent on grass and has already reached the final at Church Road. "I expect a very difficult match. He knows how to move on this surface. It will be a big task."

Matteo Berrettini challenges Jannik Sinner. © APA/afp / ANDREJ ISAKOVIC

When asked how it feels to play the first Grand Slam as number 1, Sinner said: "There is no better place to achieve that than Wimbledon. Of course it is a great feeling, a privilege and an honour, but ultimately every match starts from zero. Every opponent wants to beat me," Sinner said, aware of his role. Incidentally, Berrettini's record against top 5 players is 5 wins and 17 losses. He has never been able to beat a number.