Jannik Sinner has shared his delight despite coming through his first round match at Wimbledon in five sets.
The top seed was really put to the test against Miomir Kecmanovic on Centre Court, but the ATP number one eventually triumphed 4-6, 6-3, 6-7(6-8), 6-2, 6-3.
Sinner needed three hours and 30 minutes to secure the victory, which represented his first match since the French Open.
The Italian struggled in the heat in Paris as he suffered a shock second round exit, which he referenced after getting back to winning ways at Wimbledon.
Jannik Sinner ‘needed’ to play five sets in Wimbledon first round
When asked how he’s feeling after his five-set clash in the English capital, Sinner said live on ESPN: “No I feel good.
“Look, honestly, it was exactly what I needed.
“For me, usually starting Grand Slams like this, it’s tough.
“But you know on this surface I haven’t played any tournaments coming before here, so I’m very happy how I handled a couple of things.
“Couple of doubts at some point, but I’m very happy.”
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Sinner prevailed despite a nasty slip during the match, having also experienced bleeding in his foot because of a cut.
But he has played down the latter, confirming: “It just looked bad.
“No I didn’t feel any pain.
“I think I opened up when I slipped away, so with the nail I just cut myself, but no it’s nothing.
“Actually I’m very surprised Wimbledon didn’t tell me anything, because the all white and a little bit red down there.”
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Jannik Sinner erases doubts in his mind after first Wimbledon win
Sinner has been under the spotlight since his struggles at the French Open, after which he worked hard in training to try and figure out what his body was experiencing.
High temperatures followed in Wimbledon practice, but the weather has cooled somewhat in London with the Grand Slam now underway.
When asked if such a gutsy opening win puts him in better standing going forward, Sinner said: “Yeah I felt this way.
“Look especially after the match I was happy that I went over three hours, it was good for me.
“When I slipped I felt a little pain, but you know it went away very, very quickly, and so I’m very happy how we handled a couple of situations also during the match.
“Today was not crazy warm, but this is exactly the temperature I like to play in.
“But we practiced a lot before the tournament.
“Here it was very warm, I never had any issue.
“We made a couple of changes, and yeah, so I think the doubts are gone at least in my mind, and then we see how it goes.”
The top seed and defending champion at Wimbledon, Sinner now takes on Nuno Borges in the second round.
Portuguese player Borges has reached that stage at the All England Club after beating qualifier Tristan Boyer 6-3, 7-5, 7-5.
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