Wimbledon 2023: Tough to play against a friend, says Jannik Sinner after powering past Diego Schwartzman

By India Today Sports Desk: Jannik Sinner, the returning Wimbledon quarter-finalist, continued his strong performance in the 2023 campaign with a convincing victory over Diego Schwartzman at the All England Lawn Tennis Club on Wednesday. Sinner’s dominant display resulted in a 7-5, 6-1, 6-2 win, improving his ATP head-to-head record against Schwartzman to 4-0.

Sinner, who has reached the quarter-finals of all four Grand Slam tournaments, is determined to make another deep run at Wimbledon this year. During the 2022 Wimbledon quarters, he held a two-set lead against eventual champion Novak Djokovic before suffering a five-set defeat.

With his recent victory, Sinner’s season record now stands at an impressive 34-10, ranking him third in tour-level victories behind Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz. After the match, Sinner said: “In the beginning I thought we both were a little bit tight. After, I played a little bit better and I hit quite hard, especially in the third set. It really was a good match.”

From a critical juncture at 5-5 in the opening set, Sinner seized control of the match with his powerful baseline strokes, demonstrating his exceptional form on the grass courts of London. Even a brief interruption as the roof was closed between sets two and three failed to disrupt his momentum. Although Schwartzman managed to break Sinner’s serve and level the third set at 2-2, the Italian quickly recovered and powered through to secure the win.

Sinner acknowledged his strong serving and credited his ability to overpower Schwartzman, who he considers a friend and sometimes doubles partner. The Italian showcased his serving prowess with 14 aces and an 80 percent win rate on first serve. His aggressive style of play resulted in 37 winners during the two-hour match.

“I felt like I was serving very well in important moments,” Sinner said. “I was trying somehow to play my game. Moving him around is not easy because he’s so fast, so I tried to overpower him a little bit. He’s a good friend of mine, we play doubles together sometimes and he’s such a nice man, so it’s always tough to play against a friend.”

Sinner will face either Aleksandar Vukic or Quentin Halys, who are set to meet in the second round on Thursday, in the third round.