Jannik Sinner is about to take a massive risk that could really hurt his Wimbledon chances

Jannik Sinner has been in unbeatable form since his Indian Wells victory and he shows no signs of letting up ahead of the Italian Open.

Sinner has won the last four Masters events and a victory in Rome would mean he has already won every Masters tournament available at the age of 24.

The Italian has shown no signs of letting up after playing every Masters event the European clay court swing has to offer, but Sinner has finally given an indication that he is set to slow down on the ATP Tour.

Sinner is not on the entry list for the Halle Open this year, so it appears he will be giving himself three weeks off between Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

It should not be a surprise, as Sinner has criticised the ATP Tour schedule before, but it could make his Wimbledon title defence that much more tricky.

While it will undoubtedly be a boost for his general fitness, it could be a major barrier for him defending his Wimbledon title at SW19.

Sinner won his first Wimbledon title last year, after defeating Carlos Alcaraz in the final, but he will have to win the event this year without playing on grass prior to the Grand Slam.

The grass court swing is notoriously short, and many of the top players often struggle to get to grips with grass in the month following the clay court swing.

Last year, Holger Rune, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Lorenzo Musetti, and Casper Ruud all suffered first round exits at the grass court Grand Slam.

Jannik Sinner’s record on grass

• 29 wins and 10 losses
• 74% win rate

Without playing a grass court event prior to Wimbledon, Sinner could also be in danger of struggling to get to grips with the tricky surface.

While Sinner will likely transition to the surface in quick fashion, such is his talent on a tennis court, it does seem like a major risk to take.

Perhaps the Italian is resting on his laurels following Alcaraz’s withdrawal, but the likes of Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev will be delighted with Sinner’s decision not to play a grass court event until Wimbledon.

In the past three years, Sinner has opted to play the Halle Open with a variety of results at the German ATP 500 tournament.

Sinner lost in the second round of the 2025 Halle Open, in a shocking defeat to eventual champion Alexander Bublik.

In 2024, Sinner defeated Hubert Hurkacz in the final to win the event. A year prior, Sinner retired in the quarter-finals with injury against Bublik.

Jannik Sinner’s grass court titles

• 2024 Halle Open
• 2025 Wimbledon

Halle is often the first grass court event on Sinner’s calendar, so it says plenty that he has only lifted the trophy once at the German event.

With Wimbledon playing the part of Halle for Sinner this year on his schedule, there could be major scope for an upset at the UK Grand Slam.