Jannik Sinner arrives at Wimbledon as the defending champion and overwhelming favorite despite one of the more dramatic collapses in recent major history. The world number one lost in the second round at the French Open last month after leading Juan Manuel Cerundolo by two sets and 5-1 in the third set, ending a 30-match winning streak, according to BBC Sport.
The defeat also ended Sinner's bid to become the second-youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam. Carlos Alcaraz had already achieved that milestone at the Australian Open in January.
Sinner said after the match that he did not believe the heat in Paris was responsible for what happened. But he has since been pictured wearing an ice vest while training in hot temperatures at Wimbledon, and he confirmed he underwent a series of health tests following the loss.
Speaking on Saturday, two days before his first-round match against Miomir Kecmanovic, Sinner said the test results were very good but cautioned against expecting a quick fix.
"You cannot simulate 100% what you feel in a match because of tension [and] everything going around before and after match," he said. "We did some changes, not big changes. But I always believe in small details and small changes. We are happy at the moment with what we are doing. The result we're not going to see here. It's a long process. There's no magic behind [it]."
The loss in Paris was the first sign of vulnerability for a player who had otherwise dominated the first half of 2026. Between March and May, Sinner won five consecutive Masters 1000 titles on hard and clay courts. That run made him only the second man to complete the Career Golden Masters, joining Novak Djokovic, who holds the men's record with 24 Grand Slam titles.
His childhood coach, Andreas Schonegger, spoke to BBC Sport about what drove Sinner even as a young child. "At the end of every lesson, first he didn't want to stop, he wanted to continue," Schonegger said. "He tells me OK now, I wait for my Dad, but I continue one hour more, I want to play one more hour. [At] four years [old], that's an incredible mind, incredible. It is not normal for children this age."
Sinner won Wimbledon last year by overpowering Alcaraz in four sets in the final. He opens his title defense Monday against Kecmanovic.
