LONDON: There have been few pundits defining Jannik Sinner over the past few seasons. The defending champion made 52 unforced errors in 3 hours and 32 minutes, but when he Wimbledon With his title defense in danger of collapsing, he came back from one set down to two sets to win.The 24-year-old defeated Miomir Kekmanović 4-6, 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-3 for his 94th Grand Slam victory, tying Nicola Pietrangeli’s record for most Grand Slam wins by an Italian player.“I was a little nervous at the beginning, I didn’t play my best, but I worked hard to get into the groove. This is my first official match on grass this year. I’m happy that I turned the situation around. The third set was a difficult situation to accept,” Sinner said. “It’s a very different feeling. When you walk down the stairs to the stadium, you feel the nerves. But also knowing that this is a prestigious, historic stadium. It means a lot to me to be back here as the defending champion.“SW19’s home crowd endured a miserable opening day experience. Injury-plagued former world number four Jack Draper of Britain withdrew after Emma Raducanu withdrew late on Sunday, although mild afternoon sunshine provided some respite from Britain’s scorching summer. There was little consolation for Sinner at Center Court as he lingered on the precipice for much of the afternoon, battling technical, tactical and physical issues.Sinner, playing his first tournament since a shock second-round exit at Roland Garros last month, appeared to be wilting in the heat and questions still hung over him as he returned to center court. Across the net stood the energetic Kecmanovic, ranked 50th in the world.Everything is hard-won. The Italian’s shot selection was poor, as he hit the ball far behind the baseline and his forehand dropped serve in the ninth game of the opening set. The 26-year-old Kekmanovic jumped at the opportunity without hesitation. Even after Sinner jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second set, he still had a tough game. When the temperature rose to 24°C, he reached for an ice towel.Then, after tying the match, Sinner took a bad fall in the fifth game of the third set and his ankle appeared to buckle beneath him. Center Court held its breath as the defending champion winced in pain, then responded immediately with a thunderous forehand on the next point, prompting a huge sigh from the crowd. Even so, there was little he could do as the Serb regained the lead.Trainers Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi seemed to be playing with him on every point as Sinner was pushed into the penalty area, with the world No. 1 constantly turning to them in key moments and Sinner doing well to get out of trouble. As he tied the match at two sets, a red stain appeared on the corner of his shoe, drawing attention from the stands, although it went largely unnoticed by the referee.“I was fine, it just looked a lot worse than it was. In fact, I was surprised they let me continue because the all-white jersey turned a little bit red,” he said. “It’s just a nail, I don’t want to disturb Mio Mir, we both have a good rhythm. I don’t want to take any time.”Across Center Court, Naomi Osaka, who withdrew from Saturday’s WTA 500 final in Bad Homburg with a foot injury, took to the court in a striking all-white look inspired by kimonos. Underneath the traditional look, her matching outfit was an elegant jumpsuit with floral appliqués, micro pleats and a curved hem.The Japanese star was equally impressive on court, showing no signs of the injury that had plagued her 48 hours earlier in a 6-1, 7-5 victory over France’s Elsa Jacquemot.Meanwhile, French Open runner-up Maja Chwalinska was just one point away from victory in her first round match at Wimbledon when a slip deep from the baseline on match point turned the tide of the match as she led 6-2, 5-2.The Pole, who made a surprise run to the French Open final in June, looked set to carry that momentum into SW19 as she beat Mananchaya Sawangkaew before the Thai beat her 2-6, 7-5, 6-2.
