Twenty-nine days after the defeat in Paris, Jannik returned to the court at the Hurlingham Club’s Armani Tennis Classic and on Monday it will be his turn to open the tournament as reigning champion
Twenty-seven days after the defeat at Roland Garros against Cerundolo Jannik Sinner is back on the pitch. The number one in the world has chosen for his return Hurligham Club grass, the prestigious club that organizes the tournament which in recent years has taken the name of Armani. Sinner played and won (6-3, 6-3) against the Englishman Cameron Norriesemi-finalist at Wimbledon in 2002 and currently number 29 in the ATP rankings.
Clear towards Wimbledon
The world number one played a solid match and won without major problems. “I thank everyone present, it was a very nice experience for me, my first in this match show. It helped me find the right condition for next week. I’ve been training on grass for almost a week and this was a useful opportunity in view of the next official matches. Wimbledon is a wonderful memory for me, but this is another year and it will be another tournament. I’ve already said it, for me it’s the most special that exists.” Three meetings are scheduled every day starting from 2.30pm local time. “A combination of singles and doubles” is mentioned, so the order of play will likely be determined day by day based on player availability. Since this is a preparatory tournament for Wimbledon, Sinner is likely to play one, maximum two games. In 2025, for example, nine singles matches were played but no tennis player played more than two.
Debut on Monday
After the elimination in Paris it is clear that the Wimbledon event becomes the most important of 2026 for Sinner. Starting from the first match of the tournament, the one that will see an Italian on the pitch for the first time. In fact, the Wimbledon ceremonial requires that Monday the reigning Wimbledon champion comes out of the little door under the Royal Box and enters the temple of tennis to start the tournament. “For me, opening the ball on the central court will be an exciting moment. The atmosphere is unique, different from what you can experience on all the tennis courts in the world. I would never have imagined that one day it would be me walking on that lawn and entering that theater for the very first match of the tournament.”
