While Carlos Alcaraz, the defending champion, got off the mark on Centre Court with a three setter win in the early afternoon, his main rival, Jannik Sinner, was taken to four in the early evening of the opening day, with the fourth set completed under the closed roof of No.1 Court.
There is no better place to play a first Grand Slam as a world No. 1. It’s an amazing feeling. Jannik Sinner
The Italian world No1, seeded at the top of the draw, was forced to work hard by Germany’s Yannik Hanfmann before securing his second-round place 6-3 6-4 3-6 6-3 where he will face compatriot Matteo Berrettini, a former Wimbledon finalist.
Sinner, the reigning Australian Open champion who clearly wants to increase his tally of majors, broke Hanfmann in the sixth game of the opener as he served for a one-set lead inside 37 minutes, and improved his advantage after an early break of serve in the second set.
As the 22-year-old looked to wrap up the match inside three sets, Hanfmann produced a shock double break to stay alive, but Sinner fought back in the fourth set following a break for the roof to be closed before going on to close out the victory.
“He played really well. He was serving well, I missed a couple of shots. First-round matches, they are never easy,” Sinner explained after his win “I’m happy to be through and hopefully in the next round, I can raise my level.
“This is a grass court and sometimes you cannot control everything,” Sinner, who won the Halle warm-up event for his first title on grass.
“How I reacted in the fourth set was very positive and ending the match in a positive way can hopefully help me to start the next round.”
Sinner also said there was “no better place to play” than Wimbledon for his first major tournament as the world’s top-ranked player.
“It’s a huge privilege and honour to be in the position that I am,” he said. “There is no better place to play a first Grand Slam as a world No. 1. It’s an amazing feeling.”
The beginning of the clash was tightly contested, but Sinner kept ahead despite some impressive return play from the world No. 86.
