John McEnroe has declared Jannik Sinner as the clear favourite to retain his Wimbledon title, stating 'no question about that' after the Italian defeated Nuno Borges in straight sets to reach the third round. Sinner, who beat Carlos Alcaraz in a four-set final last year, showed signs of rustiness in his opening match against Miomir Kecmanovic, coming from two sets to one down to win in five. However, the world number one looked far more comfortable on Centre Court against Borges, winning 6-3, 6-4, 7-5.
McEnroe impressed by Sinner's response
Speaking after the match, McEnroe highlighted the importance of Sinner's victory. 'It was a great test for him. He played a guy playing as good as he could play, throwing a lot at him and made him come up with the goods in some tense moments,' the three-time Wimbledon champion said. 'Sinner has got to be feeling good about that to get through in straight sets. But that's just what the doctor ordered: it was highly competitive and his level lifted so it's good signs for Jannik Sinner.'
When asked directly if Sinner is the favourite to win again, McEnroe responded: 'Oh yeah, absolutely, no question about that. There is a little dent in the armour which you saw in France. There's always that risk when you don't play any matches (on grass before the tournament). You're a little bit unsure the first couple of rounds but he's going to go into Friday feeling a lot better than he did two sets to one down on Monday as the defending champion.'
Sinner reflects on his progress
Sinner, who had played only one exhibition match since his shock second-round exit at the French Open in May, acknowledged the challenges of the opening rounds. 'For sure for the first match on grass, having a tough opener, then getting through, it was good, was important,' he said on Wednesday. 'Today I managed the first couple of sets very well in tricky moments. I know that I can, or hopefully I can play a little bit better at times I know. Hopefully that comes match by match, then we see.' The 24-year-old will now face America's Jenson Brooksby in the third round.
Djokovic and Zverev also in contention
Among those hoping to deny Sinner a second Wimbledon crown is seven-time champion Novak Djokovic, who booked his spot in the third round with an emphatic straight-sets victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas. Djokovic, who turned 39 in May, is bidding to equal Roger Federer's record of eight Wimbledon titles and will now face France's Arthur Rinderknech in the next round. Analysing Djokovic's performance on BBC One, former world number 11 Sam Querrey said: 'That's the best Novak Djokovic has played since the Australian Open this year. That was an almost flawless performance. If he can sustain that level for five more matches, there is no reason to think he doesn't have a good shot at the Wimbledon title this year.'
Second seed Alexander Zverev will look to follow up his French Open triumph with a deep run at Wimbledon, although the German has yet to get past the fourth round at SW19. America's Ben Shelton is the only top-ten seed already out of the tournament after he lost to wildcard Otto Virtanen in five sets in the first round.
