Jannik Sinner continues to take the tennis world by storm, with the Italian having just clinched the Halle Open.
The new world number one has gotten his grass-court season off to the perfect start, beating Hubert Hurkacz in Germany.
The former clinched a 7-6(10-8), 7-6(7-2) win against the Pole, with whom he had also played doubles at the tournament.
It represents his first title as world number one, and indeed his first grass-court title, and comes at the perfect time in the ATP calendar.
Sinner has claimed 12 of his 14 tour-level trophies on hard courts, but all of his focus is now on grass as Wimbledon rapidly approaches.
Jannik Sinner shares his feelings ahead of Wimbledon
The London competition is the first major for Sinner as the world’s top ranked player, with the Italian seeking the second Grand Slam title of his career next month.
His first came earlier this year at the Australian Open, with the 22-year-old now feeling positive ahead of the third major of the year.
“I’m just looking forward to it,” said Sinner, as per the official ATP Tour website. “Last year I made [the] semis, I played some good tennis.
“So let’s see what’s coming this year. I’m more confident for sure. And on this surface, obviously the grass might be a bit different from here and Wimbledon.
“But I have one week now to prepare [for] it, so hopefully it’s going to be a good tournament.”
How far can Jannik Sinner go at Wimbledon?
Serial winner Novak Djokovic brought an abrupt end to Sinner’s tournament last time out, with the former beating the latter in straight sets.
But the Italian has developed massively since then, with 2024 going particularly well for the Australian Open winner.
He has lost just three matches all season, having lost to Carlos Alcaraz at Indian Wells and the French Open, and to Stefanos Tsitsipas in Monte Carlo.
A strong showing at Wimbledon is certainly on the cards, with Sinner having gradually grown into the competition over the years.
The one-time Grand Slam champion has progressed from the first round in 2021, to the quarter-finals in 2022, to the semi-finals in 2023.
It would be foolish to rule out a final spot this time around, but to do that he may need to come up against his newly-forged rival Alcaraz.
Sinner became the 17th active male player to win a tour-level title on grass, clay and hard with his success in Halle, but that achievement falls well short of Alcaraz’s recent feat.
With his French Open win, the Spaniard became the first man in the Open Era to win his first three Grand Slam titles on three different surfaces.
Sinner has at least been given a slight boost ahead of Wimbledon, with Alcaraz admitting that his movement was not ‘as good as last year’ following his first practice on grass.
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