Wimbledon 2024 Draw: Jannik Sinners' projected path to final ft. potential SF clash vs Carlos Alcaraz
Jannik Sinner will be entering as the top seed in a Major for the first time at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. The newly crowned World No. 1 has been handed a tricky draw that was announced on Friday, June 28.
Sinner is having a remarkable 2024 season. The Italian has already won four titles including his maiden Major at the 2024 Australian Open. Apart from that, he has won titles in Miami and Rotterdam. The Italian also made it to the semi-finals at Roland Garros to cap off a good clay season. In the build-up to SW19, he also won his maiden grasscourt title at the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle.
Sinner had his best Wimbledon result last year when he reached the semi-finals, losing to Novak Djokovic.
Here's a look at the potential path for the Italian to his first-ever Wimbledon title.
Jannik Sinner's R1 opponent - Yannick Hanfmann
Sinner is slated to face Yannick Hanfmann of Germany in the first round of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. A quarter-final appearance at the Cordoba Open is the best result for Hanfmann in 2024.
The German has struggled to make it to the main draws of tournaments. He did win a match against former Wimbledon champion Andy Murray at the Geneva Open, only to lose against Djokovic in the next round. Hanfmann has won only one main-draw match on grass this year.
Sinner faced off against Hanfmann at the pair's only meeting at last year's US Open. It was an easy straight-sets victory for the Italian in R1.
Jannik Sinner's likely R2 opponent - Matteo Berrettini
There is a possibility that Sinner might face off against the 2021 Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini in the second round in an all-Italian clash. Berrettini has not played at many tournaments in 2024 owing to injury.
However, the former World No. 6 made it to two finals in the limited number of tournaments he has played in. Berrettini won the Grand Prix Hassan tournament, beating Roberto Carballes Baena in the final. The Italian also made it to the final of Stuttgart but lost to Jack Draper.
Sinner won the only meeting between the pair at the 2023 Canadian Open.
Jannik Sinner's likely R3 opponent - Tallon Griekspoor
Sinner might face off against Tallon Griekspoor in the third round of Wimbledon. The Dutch player made it to the semi-finals in Rotterdam, (losing to Jannik Sinner), and the quarter-finals of the Geneva Open (losing to Novak Djokovic). The grasscourt season has been good for Griekspoor as he made it to the semi-finals of the Libema Open, where he lost to Sebastian Korda.
Sinner leads the head-to-head against Griekspoor 5-0. The pair have met three times in the 2024 season itself. Their last meeting was at the Terra Wortmann Open, where Sinner had to play a tough three-setter to get the better of the Dutch player in R1.
Jannik Sinner's likely R4 opponent - Ben Shelton/Nicolas Jarry
Ben Shelton and Nicolas Jarry are two probable opponents for Jannik Sinner in the fourth round of the 2024 Championships. The American started the season with two semi-finals at the Auckland Open and at the Dallas Open. Shelton went on to win his first claycourt title at the Houston Open, defeating Frances Tiafoe in the final. However, the young American has not fared well on the grass in 2024.
Despite being the top seed at the Mallorca Championships, he lost against Paul Jubb in the quarter-finals. He also had early-round exits at Stuttgart and the Queen's Club Championships.
Nicolas Jarry, meanwhile, made it to two finals in 2024, losing both. He lost to Facundo Diaz Acosta in the final of the Argentina Open and Alexander Zverev in the final of the Italian Open. However, the Chilean is yet to play a match on grass this season.
Sinner has a 2-1 record against Shelton, with the Italian winning their last match at the 2024 BNP Paribas Open. However, Sinner lost his only match against Jarry in the 2019 Libema Open on grass.
Jannik Sinner's likely QF opponent - Daniil Medvedev/ Grigor Dimitrov
Sinner will likely play Danill Medvedev or Grigor Dimitrov in the quarter-finals of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. Medvedev has made it to two finals this season, including the Australian Open and Indian Wells. The Russian player lost the finals to Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, respectively.
The grasscourt season has not been good for the fifth seed as he suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Zhang Zhizhen in the second round of the Terra Wortmann Open.
Grigor Dimitrov, on the other hand, is having a splendid 2024 season. Dimitrov won his ninth career title at the Brisbane International, with a win over Holger Rune in the final. The Bulgarian also made it to the final of the Miami Open, where he lost to Jannik Sinner. He also made another final appearance at Open 13, losing to Ugo Humbert on that occasion.
Dimitrov has, however, won only one match on grass in 2024, as he lost in the second round at the Queen's Club Championships against Sebastian Korda.
Sinner trails Medvedev 5-6 in the head-to-head record, but the Italian has won all five of their encounters so far, the recent being the semi-final at the Miami Open. Against Dimitrov, Sinner has a 4-1 record, with the World No. 1 winning the last match at the French Open quarter-final.
Jannik Sinner's likely SF opponent - Carlos Alcaraz
Sinner will probably face defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in a high-octane clash in the semi-finals. Alcaraz is coming into this year's Wimbledon as the French Open champion, keen to secure the distinction of achieving a Channel Slam.
The Spaniard did lose in the second round of the Queen's Club Championships against Jack Draper, but it is expected that the World No. 3 will be making a deep run at Wimbledon. Alcaraz also won the title at the BNP Paribas Open.
Alcaraz leads the head-to-head 5-4 against Sinner, with the last win coming for the Spaniard in the Roland Garros semi-finals. Alcaraz also won the semi-final at Indian Wells against Sinner.
Should Alcaraz falter in the previous rounds, Casper Ruud might be another potential opponent for Sinner in the semi-finals.
Jannik Sinner's likely final opponent - Novak Djokovic
Sinner will possibly face seven-time champion Novak Djokovic in the last hurdle at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. The 24-time Grand Slam champion is yet to make a final in 2024 and is entering this year's Wimbledon after undergoing knee surgery.
The Serb has made it to the semis of the Australian Open and the Monte-Carlo Masters. He lost to Sinner and Casper Ruud, respectively. He reached the quarter-finals at the French Open, where he withdrew from his match against Ruud.
Djokovic leads the head-to-head against Sinner 4-3. However, the Italian won their last encounter at the Australian Open semi-finals. But the Serb beat the Italian at Wimbledon in 2022 and 2023 in the quarter and semi-final stages, respectively.
Should Djokovic falter or withdraw from the earlier rounds, Sinner might have to face Alexander Zverev in the final.