“I still have some gap to gain”: Sinner reaches Wimbledon fourth round still searching for his best
Jannik Sinner reached the Wimbledon fourth round with a straight-sets win over Jenson Brooksby but insisted he still has ground to make up, as the defending champion builds slowly towards a last-16 meeting with qualifier Shintaro Mochizuki.
Jannik Sinner, Wimbledon 2026 | © Immy Thompson-Bland/IPS Photo Agency/Psnewz
Jannik Sinner declared himself still short of his best after reaching the Wimbledon fourth round on Friday, the defending champion beating Jenson Brooksby 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 yet insisting his title defence remains a work in progress.
The world No. 1, who came to the All England Club without a grass-court lead-in following a shock second-round exit at Roland-Garros, called the win a cleaner display than his opening two matches while refusing to be satisfied. “It was a small step forward. I still have some gap to gain,” Sinner said, having needed five sets to survive his first round.
He framed the tournament as a slow accumulation rather than a series of statements. “You don’t win a tournament in the first week, but you can only lose it,” Sinner said. “It’s always a good sign that I’m still here.”
Having failed to serve out the match and spurned match points, Sinner eventually crossed the line and cupped a hand to his ear to the Court One crowd, a rare flourish from a player who avoids theatrics. “The crowd helped me. It was important to finish,” he said.
Discovering Shintaro Mochizuki
His reward is a last-16 meeting with Shintaro Mochizuki, the Japanese qualifier ranked world No. 151 who upset Rafael Jódar and has vowed to disrupt rather than out-hit him. Sinner had watched, and was wary. “He’s a very good player, especially on grass. His ball is very low,” he said. “Very dangerous player.”
Sinner’s route has eased on paper, with Daniil Medvedev, his projected quarter-final opponent, beaten on Friday by Jan-Lennard Struff. His win over Nuno Borges earlier in the week gave him 95 career Grand Slam match victories, the most of any Italian man. For all the self-critique, the champion remains firmly on course.
