Jannik Sinner insisted there was no cause for concern after a bleeding foot threatened to overshadow his gritty opening-round victory over Miomir Kecmanovic at Wimbledon 2026 on Monday, June 29 on Centre Court.
The defending champion battled back from two sets to one down to beat the Serbian 4-6, 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-3 in a gripping three-hour-and-30-minute contest, avoiding what would have been one of the biggest upsets of the opening day.
The dramatic moment came in the third set when Sinner slipped while changing direction behind the baseline and injured his toe. Blood seeped through his white shoe, sparking concern among spectators as the world No.1 continued without taking a lengthy medical timeout.
Having already dropped the opening set and then the third-set tiebreak, Sinner refused to let the injury derail his title defence, roaring back to dominate the final two sets.
‘IT WAS JUST A NAIL’
Despite the alarming scenes, Sinner dismissed fears over the injury after the match.
“No, no, I’m good. It just looked much worse than it actually was. I’m actually very surprised they let me keep playing because of the all-white dress code, it turned a little red. It was just a nail,” Sinner said during his on-court interview.
The Italian also explained why he chose not to stop play for treatment, despite the visible bleeding.
“I didn’t want to interrupt Miomir because I think we both had a really good rhythm. It was a great match from both of us, and I didn’t want to take any time away from it. It’s all good. Thank you,” he added.
Sinner’s response on court reflected the resilience that has defined his season. After Kecmanovic edged the third-set tiebreak to move within a set of victory, Sinner elevated his level, taking the fourth set before producing a composed display in the decider. He relied on a superb serve, finishing with a career-best 31 aces, and controlled the key baseline exchanges to wrap up a fifth-set win.
Sinner will next face Portugal’s Nuno Borges in the second round as he looks to build on another escape act that underlined his reputation as one of the toughest competitors on the ATP Tour.
– Ends