A buoyant centre-court crowd was left gawping after Jannik Sinner and Matteo Berrettini produced pure magic during their tense second-round battle at Wimbledon 2024.
If you were somehow unfamiliar with the boisterous winning machine that is Jannik Sinner, his second-round victory against Italian compatriot Matteo Berrettini at Wimbledon 7-6, 7-6, 2-6, 7-6, reminded the tennis world of his stature.
Not only did he sweep up the Australian Open title in January earlier this year, Sinner became the new World No. 1 after his deep run at the French Open in June.
The 6ft 4 Italian has started his grass court season in ludicrous form, picking up the title in Halle against the big-serving Hubert Hurkacz, before dispatching Yannick Hanfmann and Berrettini to start off a strong Wimbledon campaign.
With Sinner and reigning Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz already stealing the spotlight from the champions of old including both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, the pair look set to dominate the men’s singles game for a generation.
Despite facing a slight scare on Centre Court with Wimbledon 2022 finalist Berrettini able to discover some form of old, the 22-year-old held his nerve to progress to the third round.
Tennis fans digest a moment of Wimbledon magic
With the pair tied in the fourth set, a mesmerizing exchange provoked countless gasps from the crowd with Berrettini hitting around the net post and still losing the point to leave the commentary booth in utter disbelief.
Astounded fans immediately took to X to express their thoughts on the entertaining all-Italian battle.
One user wrote: “Point of the tournament. Up to now. No doubts.”
Another echoed these thoughts, writing: “Just jaw-dropping tennis,” with another astonished fan saying, “God himself would approve.”
With both Sinner and Berrettini having made the very latter stages of Wimbledon, many even expressed their frustrations that this contest came so early in the Championships.
An infuriated fan said: “How could you make these champions clash so early? Worst draw ever.”
Another remarked: “Second round… I thought this should be a semifinal.”
Can Jannik Sinner go all the way at Wimbledon 2024?
Italian tennis undoubtedly sits in its best position for years with Jannik Sinner the first Italian man or woman to reach World No. 1 in singles since computerized rankings began in 1973.
After a 2023 semi-final defeat to seven-time champion Djokovic, Sinner has since beaten the Serb in three out of their four subsequent meetings on the ATP Tour and has lost only three singles matches in 2024.
While immediate rivals like Alcaraz are yet to drop a set at this year’s championships, the Italian has faced tougher opponents with neither of the Spaniard’s opponents having ever made it beyond the second round at a major.
With adjustments to the Italian’s already huge serve and a tidy pair of hands at the net, Sinner has already passed a handful of difficult early tests and looks dialed in for a deep run at Wimbledon with Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanović waiting in the third round.
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