LONDON (AP) 鈥� had to come back from a set down twice and regain his composure following a worrisome tumble to the grass in a five-set victory over 50th-ranked Miomir Kecmanovic in the first round of on Monday.
A month after his , the top-ranked Sinner produced a 4-6, 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-2, 6-3 win that lasted 3 hours and 30 minutes in the opening match on Centre Court, which by custom is reserved for the past year鈥檚 men鈥檚 singles champion.
Sinner said he was 鈥渁 little tight in the beginning,鈥� noting that it was his first grass-court match of the season.
鈥淚鈥檓 happy that I turned it around,鈥� Sinner said.
Lleyton Hewitt, the 2002 champion, remains the only Wimbledon men鈥檚 singles winner in the professional era (since 1968) to lose in the first round the following year. The Australian was defeated by Ivo Karlovic in his 2003 opener.
In another Centre Court match, seven-time champion Novak Djokovic had cheering him on during a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 victory over 102nd-ranked Wu Yibing that ended with the retractable roof closed and the lights turned on due to darkness. Djokovic improved to a perfect 21-0 in the opening round at Wimbledon.
will play her opening match on Tuesday against 20-year-old Maya Joint of Australia 鈥� marking the first time she competes in singles in nearly four years.
Ideal conditions
Sinner hadn鈥檛 played an official match since he struggled with dizziness during a heat wave at Roland Garros, where after being within one game of concluding his second-round match in straight sets, he was beaten by Juan Manuel Cerundolo in five.
The match with Kecmanovic was played in ideal conditions, with sunny skies and the temperature 24 degrees Celsius (75 Fahrenheit).
Sinner is a big favorite to repeat as Wimbledon champion since his main rival Carlos Alcaraz, who he beat in last year鈥檚 final, is missing the championships due to a right wrist injury.
Sinner felt the pressure from the honors reserved for the defending champion.
鈥淚t was a very, very different feeling,” he said. “There鈥檚 a lot of nerves when you go down the stairs behind the court. Also mentally knowing it鈥檚 such a prestige court and such a historical court.鈥�
Bloody shoe
Early in the third set, Sinner drew a loud applause when he executed a sliced stop-volley drop shot that was so good Kecmanovic didn鈥檛 even run for it. But in the same game, Sinner then fell hard to the grass when he lost his footing trying to change directions. He went down on his knees and fell backwards grimacing in pain as he grasped what appeared to be his left hip area. But he quickly got up and resumed playing.
As the match wore on, Sinner appeared to be bleeding through his right shoe.
鈥淚鈥檓 good,鈥� Sinner said. 鈥淚t just seems much worse than it is. 鈥� It鈥檚 just a nail.鈥�
Kecmanovic saved a set point in the third-set tiebreaker with a wild point that ended with Sinner down on the ground again after he first retrieved a short ball and then retreated to run down a ball over his shoulder into the corner. It evened the tiebreaker at 6-6 and Sinner and Kecmanovic slapped hands on the ensuing change of ends as the players appeared to appreciate each other鈥檚 effort.
Two points later, a backhand from Sinner sailed long and Kecmanovic had a two-sets-to-one lead.
鈥淭he third set,” Sinner said, “was a very tough one to swallow.鈥�
But Sinner cleaned up his game in the final two sets to earn his first five-set victory since he came back from two sets down to beat Daniil Medvedev for his first Grand Slam trophy in the 2024 Australian Open final.
Beckham does the wave
When Sinner held for a 5-2 lead in the fifth, was among the spectators taking part in a Centre Court wave.
Sinner has now won all five of his career meetings with Kecmanovic but this one was nothing like a straight-sets victory in the third round at Wimbledon in 2024 and the players shared a friendly embrace at the net when it was over.
Sinner produced 72 winners to Kecmanovic’s 20 but also had many more unforced errors: 52 to 33. The serve was a weapon for Sinner, cranking out 31 aces to Kecmanovic’s one.
鈥淲e will try to aim for a couple of improvements for the next match,鈥� Sinner said.
Kecmanovic had to regroup recently after Viktor Troicki left him to coach another Serbian 鈥� someone by the name of Novak Djokovic.
Osaka’s kimono
In other matches, Medvedev defeated Marin Cilic 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 in a matchup of Grand Slam champions; 12th-seeded Andrey Rublev was beaten by Roman Safiullin 6-4, 6-7 (6), 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (12); and rising Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar, in his Wimbledon debut, beat Felix Gill 6-3, 6-3, 7-5.
In women’s action, by wearing a flowing kimono for her walk-on before a 6-1, 7-5 victory over Elsa Jacquemot; top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka beat Teodora Kostovic 6-2, 6-3; Coco Gauff beat Tamara Korpatsch 6-2, 6-1 in 54 minutes; and beat Magda Linette 7-5, 6-4.
French Open finalist , who needed a wild-card entry, was beaten 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 by Mananchaya Sawangkaew.
___
AP tennis:
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
