Jannik Sinner was looking to return to the last 16 of Wimbledon for the fourth straight year.
After Sinner beat Luca Nardi and Aleksandar Vukic in his opening two matches at Wimbledon, he moved into the third round, where he took on Spain’s Pedro Martinez.
Historically a clay-court specialist, Martinez made light work of his first two opponents on grass, advancing to round three having dropped just one set.
Unfortunately for Martinez, an unlikely victory over the world number one never came to fruition, as he struggled with injury during his 1-6, 3-6, 1-6 defeat on Centre Court.
During his on-court interview, Sinner sent a message to the injured Spaniard immediately after the match.
Jannik Sinner says he has ‘huge respect’ for injured Pedro Martinez after their Wimbledon match
The Italian star took the time to praise Martinez after the match, commending him for fighting through injury to put on a show.
“I’m obviously very happy, but I think you all saw that he was struggling with the shoulder,” said Sinner.
“He couldn’t serve very well, and especially on this surface, when you don’t serve well, then it’s not easy to play.
“But a huge respect for him to come out here and compete when it was not easy for him.”
Martinez’s shoulder began to trouble him during the first set, as the 28-year-old took a lengthy medical time out.
It looked as though Martinez would be forced to retire from the match, but instead he soldiered on and played some of his best tennis in the second set.
Down a break to Sinner, the world number 52 worked hard to earn himself a few break points, but was unable to convert, as he eventually fell to a convincing straight-sets defeat.
Reflecting on his own performance, Sinner was happy with his efforts on Centre Court, as he looked ahead to the second week of Wimbledon.
“From my side, I tried to stay very solid from the back of the court. We had some very good rallies and yeah, of course, huge honor to play in front of you,” he said.
“Thank you for the support. Thank you all. It’s amazing.
“Every time you enter a Grand Slam in the second week means that it’s a very special occasion, even more special here in Wimbledon, so I’m very happy to be in the second week.
“We try to keep going, keep pushing. But yeah, of course. The first week couldn’t have gone better. So let’s see what’s coming.”
Sinner was then asked about the celebrities in attendance on Centre Court as he directed a few words towards those sitting in the Royal Box.
“Yes, what can I say? If I feel like I haven’t won anything compared to all of you, so thank you so much again,” he said.
“It’s a huge, huge honor to play in front of you. You know, for us athletes, especially tennis players, it’s very nice when we see new faces, because we are not used to playing in front of so many special guests.
“So thank you so much, and I hope you will enjoy the rest of your day here.”
Sinner will now rest up ahead of his fourth-round match against either Grigor Dimitrov or Sebastian Ofner.
Jannik Sinner’s perfect first week at Wimbledon
The 23-year-old was happy with his first week at Wimbledon, and he was right to be, having secured his spot in the last 16 without dropping a single set.
- 2025 Wimbledon 1R – Jannik Sinner beat Luca Nardi, 6-4, 6-3, 6-0
- 2025 Wimbledon 2R – Jannik Sinner beat Aleksandar Vukic, 6-1, 6-1, 6-3
- 2025 Wimbledon 3R – Jannik Sinner beat Pedro Martinez, 6-1, 6-3, 6-1
Sinner has only lost 16 games at Wimbledon so far, the fewest of any player to reach the fourth round.
He is, in fact, one of just two players to have reached the fourth round yet to drop a set at SW19, alongside his fellow Italian, Flavio Cobolli, who made his way through to the second week with a straight-sets win over Jakub Mensik.
Only time will tell if both players can continue to dominate on the grass, but it will certainly be worth tuning in to see.
Sinner and Cobolli will return to play their fourth-round matches on Monday, July 6.
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