Jannik Sinner is racing through his half of the draw at Wimbledon, having not dropped a set yet in his first three matches.
Sinner defeated Pedro Martinez in his third-round match to advance to round four at the All England Club for the fourth consecutive year.
The Italian has conceded the fewest games en route to the round of 16 in the Open Era, losing just 17, which surpasses Roger Federer‘s record of 19 set in 2004.
His next opponent at the championships is Grigor Dimitrov, whom he has beaten in their last four meetings, but he has never faced the Bulgarian on grass.
The world number one has put on an incredible display of tennis in SW19, and has showcased a shot that American ATP star Alex Michelsen thinks is ‘one of the most outrageous things in sports.’
Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty ImagesAlex Michelsen recalls his two clashes with Jannik Sinner
Speaking about Sinner’s left-foot sliding backhand on the Changeover Podcast, Michelsen said: “That’s outrageous.
“It’s one of the most outrageous things in sports, honestly, his left foot slide. On grass, too. He’s sliding to the next zip code. It’s like, what’s going on?
“He’s got two forehands. I played him in Cincy [The Cincinnati Open] last year, second round, and then I played him in the second round of the [US] Open, I’m like, dude, what are these draws?
- Michelsen’s record against Sinner
- 2024 Cincinnati Open Round of 32: Lost 6-4, 7-5
- 2024 US Open Round of 64: Lost 6-4, 6-0, 6-2
“You approach his backhand, and the guy is just sliding open stance, passing you line, and you’re like, well, sh–.
“In Cincy, I played him tight, it was like four and five, I went zero for nine on break points, I remember, and he aced me on a bunch of them. I served out of my a– that day, just to be able to stay in the match.
“I feel like against Sinner and [Carlos] Alcaraz, if you let them control from the baseline, you’re screwed.”
Jannik Sinner’s dominant Wimbledon campaign so far
Sinner’s first-round matchup at Wimbledon this year was against compatriot Luca Nardi, whom he defeated 6-4, 6-3, 6-0.
He then played Aleksandar Vukic and earned an even more comfortable win, with the final score 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 in favour of the first seed.
Jannik Sinner’s Wimbledon campaign so far
In his third-round clash with Martinez, it was clear from the Spaniard’s unusually slow serves that he was not fully fit, which led to Sinner sweeping him aside with ease.
He’ll now face his first seeded opponent at the tournament in the form of Dimitrov.