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Tennis in London: Sinner and Djokovic survive tough Wimbledon tests
🇩🇪 Germany /Sports

Tennis in London: Sinner and Djokovic survive tough Wimbledon tests

From Die Zeit · () German

Translated from German, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News From a news agency Context piece
  • Top tennis players Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic faced tough challenges in their opening Wimbledon matches.
  • Sinner, the defending champion, recovered from a two-set deficit and a fall to win his second-round match.
  • Djokovic was also pushed hard by China's Wu Yibing, expressing surprise at his opponent's level.

Defending Wimbledon champion Jannik Sinner and record Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic both survived stern opening-round tests on Tuesday. Sinner, the world No. 1, was taken to five sets after a mid-match scare, while Djokovic also faced significant pressure from his opponent.

It felt very challenging today. Wu deserves a big applause for this incredible performance.

— Novak DjokovicDjokovic's reaction to his tough first-round match against Wu Yibing at Wimbledon.

Sinner ultimately prevailed over Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic with a score of 4-6, 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 6-2, 6-3. The Italian player experienced a moment of concern when he slipped and fell on the grass, briefly clutching his hip, but continued without needing medical attention. He admitted to feeling tense at the start but was pleased to have turned the match around. A red stain, resembling blood, appeared on his shoe, but Sinner assured reporters he was fine.

Djokovic faced a formidable challenge from China's Wu Yibing, winning 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4. The Serbian star acknowledged Wu's impressive performance, stating, “It felt very challenging today. Wu deserves a big applause for this incredible performance.” Djokovic admitted he was not feeling fresh and was surprised by Wu's level, remarking, “It didn’t feel like the first round.” He was observed stretching his back multiple times during the match.

I’m very happy that I turned it around.

— Jannik SinnerSinner's comment after winning his difficult five-set opening match at Wimbledon.

Both players had challenging lead-ups to the tournament. Sinner had a notable physical collapse at the French Open, losing a commanding lead in the second round. Djokovic's path to this match included a physically demanding encounter, and he was seen stretching his back. Former English football star David Beckham was in attendance, watching both Sinner's and Djokovic's matches.

No, no, I’m fine.

— Jannik SinnerSinner reassuring reporters about his condition after a fall on court, noting it looked worse than it was.

Sinner's next opponent will be Nuno Borges of Portugal, while Djokovic is set to face Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece in the subsequent round. The tournament continues with other notable players navigating their early matches.

It didn’t feel like the first round.

— Novak DjokovicDjokovic expressing surprise at the high level of his opponent in the first round of Wimbledon.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Die Zeit in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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