Top seed Sinner eases into Wimbledon second round
LONDON : Top seed Jannik Sinner eased into the Wimbledon second round today, brushing aside fellow Italian Luca Nardi in straight sets.
Unfazed by the searing heat, Sinner barely broke sweat in a 6-4, 6-3, 6-0 victory lasting just 1 hour and 48 minutes on Court 1.
'I'm very happy to come back here to such a special place for me,' Sinner said.
'Playing an Italian is very unfortunate but one has to go through and luckily it was me.'
Sinner last week insisted his surprise decision to part with two of his coaching staff on the eve of Wimbledon would not affect his bid to win the tournament for the first time.
He opted to move on from Marco Panichi and Ulises Badio, his trainer and physiotherapist, as he looks for a new direction following his painful French Open final loss to Carlos Alcaraz.
The pair had been employed by Sinner since September 2024, helping him retain the Australian Open crown in January and reach the Roland Garros showpiece in June.
Asked if the decision might jeopardise his Wimbledon challenge over the next fortnight, Sinner was adamant it would be beneficial, with coaches Simone Vagnozzi and Darren Cahill still on his staff.
On the evidence of his dominant display against Nardi the world No 1, who returned from a three-month doping ban in May, will be just fine regardless of the coaching shake-up.
'We worked a lot after Halle (grass-court tournament) on the serve and in important moments I felt I was serving very well,' Sinner said.
'First matches are never easy, so I'm very happy with the performance. It's a new tournament, new challenges.
'If you don't enjoy to play on these courts, I don't know where you will enjoy. I will try to keep going.'
Sinner has won three of the past six Grand Slams, but the 23-year-old blew a two-set lead and wasted three match points as Alcaraz staged a comeback for the ages to win the French Open final.
Sinner has failed to reach the Wimbledon final in his four visits, with a last four appearance in 2023 ranking as his best effort.
The Italian's Wimbledon preparations were also dented by a shock last 16 defeat against Alexander Bublik at Halle.
Playing world No 95 Nardi for the first time, Sinner had little trouble dispatching the 21-year-old in his first Grand Slam match since that bitter defeat at Roland Garros.
Sinner recently released a duet titled Polvere e Gloria, which means Dust and Glory, with renowned tenor Andrea Bocelli.
The Italian will hope he continues hitting all the right notes in his Wimbledon title bid.
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