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Jannik Sinner suffers scary fall at Wimbledon as umpire rushes from chair to check on World No. 1
Wimbledon 2026: The incident occurred with the score locked at 2-2 in the fifth game of the third set
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner suffered a frightening fall in a heart-in-mouth moment on Centre Court on Monday during the third set of his opening-round Wimbledon 2026 clash against Miomir Kecmanovic.
The incident occurred with the score locked at 2-2 in the fifth game of the third set, while Kecmanovic was serving. Chasing a shot to his right, Sinner was wrong-footed and crashed to the grass after his left leg folded awkwardly underneath him. The defending champion immediately clutched his leg and grimaced in pain as he lay on the court.
Umpire Alison Hughes quickly climbed down from her chair to check on the Italian, who remained on the ground for several moments before slowly getting back to his feet.
Andrew Castle, on BBC commentary, summed up the concern around Centre Court.
"He looks like he's definitely going to need the trainer. We hope it's not as bad as it looked."
Sinner refuses treatment despite injury scare
Although Sinner initially walked with a noticeable limp, easing fears that the injury could be serious, he refused to call for the trainer and chose to continue.
There was fresh concern a game later when commentator Tim Henman noticed blood seeping through Sinner's shoe, suggesting he may have also suffered a cut during the fall.
Despite carrying on, the Italian struggled to regain his rhythm and eventually dropped the third set, leaving himself trailing by two sets to one against Kecmanovic.
Henman believed Sinner's problems extended beyond the fall, pointing to an unusually erratic performance.
"I think the first round of any tournament is difficult. There's been no middle ground from Sinner today. His quality play has been excellent, but when he's dropped off, there's been lots of unforced errors, which is why he finds himself in a bit of a predicament here."
Sinner arrived at the grass-court major looking to bounce back from a shock second-round exit at the French Open, where he was widely regarded as the favourite following the absence of Carlos Alcaraz through injury.
With Alcaraz still sidelined, Sinner entered Wimbledon as the overwhelming favourite to retain his title, despite not having played a competitive grass-court match this summer.
