Lack of warm-up will be Sinner's weapon at Wimbledon

Defending Wimbledon champion Jannik Sinner is adopting an unconventional approach to his title defense, opting to skip all grass-court warm-up tournaments. Typically, top players engage in at least one event on grass to acclimate to the surface before the prestigious Grand Slam begins.

Sinner, however, believes this deviation from the norm could serve as a strategic advantage. He suggests that playing a pre-Wimbledon tournament might lead to doubts if the results are not as expected. By avoiding these tournaments, he aims to arrive in London without such concerns, allowing him to focus solely on his game.

"If you play a tournament before (Wimbledon), it might be that it doesn't go as you wish, and then you come here with doubts," Sinner explained, according to AFP. "If you haven't played a tournament before, that doubt hasn't arisen, and then you can just go out and play."

His strategy will be put to the test immediately as he faces Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic in the first round on Monday. Sinner's last competitive match was on May 28 at the French Open. During that tournament, he experienced significant physical struggles in his second-round match against Juan Manuel Cerundolo, losing the final three sets after winning the first two convincingly. The 24-year-old Italian will be aiming for his fifth Grand Slam title at Wimbledon.

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If you play a tournament before (Wimbledon), it might be that it doesn't go as you wish, and then you come here with doubts. If not, that doubt hasn't arisen, and then you can just go out and play.