Sinner wins, but must return to the center of the village again
(Gaia Piccardi) Much ado about nothing, William Shakespeare might have commented. Jannik Sinner beats Yannick Hanfmann in four sets (6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3) in the first round of the Wimbledon tournament and begins his pursuit of the Holy Grail of tennis. However, 11 break points conceded are too many, the percentages on serve are not convincing, for long glimpses of the third set the world number one (sunk 0-4) suffered an opponent who was on form but still number 86 in the world. This new, out-of-focus Sinner must immediately find the strength to return to the center of the village: on Wednesday in the second round (probably on center court) Matteo Berrettini awaits him in the Italian derby, who trembled with Fucsovics (7-6, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1), losing his way when a back pain forced him to call the physiotherapist. “With all the injuries I’ve had, I got a bit scared and I left the match,” explained the Roman, the first Italian tennis player to reach the final at Wimbledon in 2021, treated for a long time on the lawn of court number 12. “Jannik is probably not so happy to face me so early, but it’s also my fault: I’ve dropped in the rankings, and the draw is random.”
Hanfmann, who has been hard of hearing since birth (the reason he had to give up his dream of playing football), was supposed to be little more than a training session, and it wasn’t. In the wake of 12 aces, he dragged Sinner to the fourth set, exposing a service that was at times not up to par (45% of first serves in the opening set, rising to 66% in the second, falling back to 56% in the third) and highlighting the flaws of a favourite who was never entirely at ease: perhaps a little tense at the start, but more prone to errors than usual (30 unforced errors at the end), slipping several times while trying to chase the German’s tracers, twice on the ground, the first time grimacing while touching his right hip (injured in Madrid, also under examination in Paris). Shivers.
London’s humidity prompted the supervisor to close the roof of court number one after three sets, when it was eight o’clock in the evening in London, turning the match into an indoor match. Sinner appreciated it: he took a break in the fourth game, raising the level to levels that Hanfmann could no longer sustain – a remarkable backhand touch by Sinner after a slide on the grass that seemed like ice -, Jannik he flew 4-1, 5-2, 6-3.
A debut that the red baron did not expect, much more complicated than the apparent softness of the match promised on paper. A puzzle solved authoritatively by the world number one, capable of shifting gears when the situation required it (Jannik closed with 82% of first serves on the court, 16 aces in total), certainly not as brilliant as in Halle but ultimately, let’s remember, human. Let’s give him time (but not too much).
