World No. 1 Jannik Sinner returns to the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club as defending champion and clear favorite, but faces a few small questions about his recent form and lack of competitive grass court events this year.
The Italian arrives at Wimbledon on Monday as the overwhelming betting favorite to repeat as champion, yet his path to defending his title has been unconventional. The 24-year-old carries odds of around 1.53 (-187.5 or 8/15), to win the whole event which is a record low odds.
However, Sinner hasn’t played competitively since end of May, when he suffered a shock second-round loss to Juan Manuel Cerundolo at the French Open.
The Preparation
For the first time in his Wimbledon career, Sinner arrives without playing a grass-court event beforehand. Typically, most players use Stuttgart or the BOSS Open to find their rhythm on grass. Sinner skipped both, opting instead for a month-long break following the Paris disappointment.
“At the same time, if you play a tournament before here, maybe it’s not going the way you would like, you come here with some doubts,” Sinner explained at his pre-tournament press conference. “If you don’t play any tournament, you don’t have these doubts, you just go and play.”
It’s a reasonable perspective but let’s see how it will work out. Last year, he lost in the second round at Halle before arriving at Wimbledon and winning the championship, – form isn’t always linear.
His only competitive action since the French Open was an exhibition victory over Cameron Norrie (6-3, 6-3) during a heat wave.
The Real Sinner Story of 2026
Before the French Open collapse, Sinner was in career-best form. He completed the Career Golden Masters, winning all six ATP Masters 1000 titles in a single season (Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Madrid, Rome). His 2026 record stands at 37-3 heading into Wimbledon, an absurd win percentage despite the Cerundolo loss.
The French Open loss felt more like an anomaly rather than a trend. It wasn’t tactical defeat or a bad matchup, it was physical collapse in extreme heat. It’s not the first time Sinner has real issues in extreme weather and we’ll see some quite hot days in London in the coming weeks as well.
According to himself and the team, they have made “small, not big” changes and do not seem to panic about the situation.
The Draw: Favorable, But Not Easy
Sinner faces Miomir Kecmanovic in the first round on Centre Court, a player in good form but should not be able to disturb Sinner on grass at this stage. His half of the draw is indeed favorable, however, with Novak Djokovic on his side.
The 39-year-old Serbian owns a crazy 102-13 Wimbledon record and he is chasing his eighth Wimbledon title and 25th Grand Slam overall. This might be his last chance.
Sinner’s career record at Wimbledon stands at 20-4, an exceptional win percentage and the grass courts suit his game very well.
Sinner will try to become the first man since Djokovic (2014-2015) to win consecutive Wimbledon titles. He’ll also move to five Grand Slams, adding significant weight to his already historic 2026 season.
If he doesn’t, questions about his physical durability will intensify heading into the US Open.
For now, Sinner simply says there’s no magic. Just preparation, confidence, and the belief that he belongs on grass at The All England Club.
Wimbledon 2026 begins today, Monday, June 29. Jannik Sinner vs Miomir Kecmanovic opens play on Centre Court. See our full preview here or learn more about Sinner’s racquet.
