Wimbledon’s Centre Court had a very functional middle Saturday. If Emma Raducanu and Aryna Sabalenka provided Friday night Champagne Supernova viewing, Saturday’s afternoon session felt like a cloudy hangover. Jannik Sinner dispatched Spain’s Pedro Martinez in straight sets under the closed roof, played out in front of the great and good of British sport in the Royal Box (plus Andy Roddick and Billie Jean King).
Martinez is world No. 52 and reached the third round of Wimbledon in 2021 as well. He didn’t have the resume to rattle the world No.1 and the fear of a no contest match was high. The 28-year-old’s cause wasn’t helped by a shoulder issue that required the trainer at 0-5 down in the first set. Things could have got very ugly indeed when the Spaniard popped over an 86 mph serve to go a double break behind.
Martinez came out swinging when he knew physicality wasn’t on his side. He won the next six points and played with abandon, the kind of attitude that could at least make some small dents in Sinner’s outer ring of steel. The crowd knew what was going to happen. It was a guaranteed defeat, but effort is never futile. It’s still a difficult sell in front of the likes of great Olympians, Dame Laura Kenny and Sir Steve Redgrave.
All three matches on Centre ended in victories for Sinner, Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek, with an aggregate loss of 17 games between these three multiple Slam winners. Champions know how to dull the opponent’s hope, but this felt like a procession without any light or shade. There was no jeopardy, the very essence of competitive sport.
At least the second set was a contest despite Sinner and Martinez never trading on equal terms. The number one seed always has more chips on the table. Sinner saved four break points at 4-3 as Martinez threw everything he could without really being in contention. Sinner can destroy opponents and greet them at the net with the warmest of hugs, as if they just had the best knockabout in Wimbledon Park.
Sinner is a smiling assassin who can detonate with accuracy and authority. The 23-year-old made almost three times as many unforced errors as he had in the previous round against Aleksandar Vukic, but he was never under any serious threat
Sinner has lost just ten games in the last six sets – five today and five against Vukic – hasn’t dropped his serve, and is now the record-holder for least number of games ceded after three rounds at Wimbledon. That’s one less record that Roger Federer holds on his favorite piece of turf.
Sinner doesn’t care much for such statistics. As he said in the press conference, it’s all about looking after his side of the net. The rest is fluff and stuff for others to speculate over. There are no negative thoughts coming from that stunning but stinging final defeat at Roland Garros where he held three match points against Carlos Alcaraz in the fifth set. Sinner is all about what tomorrow brings.
Sinner’s progress to the second week has been smoother than Alcaraz and that energy saving could prove to be a factor, especially as the world No. 2 went all the way at Queen’s as well.
There have been no difficult moments so far for Sinner and the long haul to a major is halfway through without any turbulence. It doesn’t mean anything until he reaches July 13. Sinner lost a major he should have won, and the effect of that might be bigger than he’s letting on.
