Blood, sweat and fear! Bloodied world No 1 Jannik Sinner scrapes through a five-set scare at Wimbledon in the first round – as Novak Djokovic is booed off after his own Centre Court scare

The biggest challenger to Jannik Sinner’s bid to defend his Wimbledon crown was always going to be a great Serb… but maybe not.

The world number 1, who bore visible scars of the battle, including blood stains on his shoes, was subjected to great fear not by 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic, but by his compatriot Miomir Kecmanovic.

Later in the day, Chinese player Yibing Wu also gave Djokovic a tough test; The player squandered seven break points in the third and fourth sets with the score at 1-1, eventually outmaneuvering the experienced player physically and tactically.

World number 50 Kecmanovic led Sinner by two sets to one and tried to put the Italian on the ropes, causing errors and a worrying collapse, but ultimately succumbed in the five-set thriller.

Sinner’s Nike shoes were covered in blood after falling early in the match

It was a grueling and energy-sapping outing in his first competitive outing for the world No. 1 since he was exhausted in the Paris heat last month and was knocked out of the French Open in a shock second-round knockout by then world No. 56 Juan Manuel Cerundolo.

Sinner’s right shoe was stained with red blood and he said it wasn’t as bad as it looked, and a five-set match lasting three hours and 29 minutes was rather unwelcome for a man trying to prepare for the tournament after taking time off following the disappointment at Roland Garros.

‘I’m fine, (the blood) looks a lot worse than it is,’ he said. ‘I’m surprised they let me continue playing because of the all-whites (uniform rules)!

‘It was a good match for both of us, so I didn’t want to disturb it and take time (with the medical timeout).’

The Italian recovered after losing the first set, but Kecmanovic quickly regained the lead by winning several long rallies on the Center Court, which hosted famous names such as Sir David Beckham and Dame Mary Berry, who joined the Mexican Wave.

Sinner was in no mood for such jokes and was afraid to say goodbye to SW19 just one day after defending his title.

However, he soon settled in and stormed through the next two sets, closing the gap and winning 4-6, 6-3, 6-7, 6-2, 5-3.

Sinner celebrates after gritting his teeth to beat Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic

Later in the day, a couple got engaged on Center Court and Djokovic, world No. 102 He almost fell to his knees after the gentleman who was subjected to a severe test by Yu.

The Chinese player became a crowd favorite with his energetic style and soon they were chanting a long ‘Yu’ chant every time he won a point; It was amplified by the roof closing and the noise, which angered Djokovic – although he may have mistaken it for the noise he was being booed at.

Djokovic comes to SW19 without winning a major in his last 12 attempts until the 2023 US Open; It’s his first two-year wait for a Grand Slam victory since his breakthrough years on the track as a teenager.

The Serb, now 39, is not ready to give up just yet, and with Alcaraz’s absence and question marks over Sinner’s staying power following a collapse at the last two Slams, many believe this is his last chance to equal Roger Federer by winning his 25th major and eighth Wimbledon title.

But it was a tough test for the man who had not played since losing to promising Brazilian Joao Fonseca at Roland Garros.

BBC viewers missed Wu taking the second set as they asked punters to switch from BBC Two to BBC One, only to find they were forced to watch the last five minutes of Eastenders.

But the action was just as dramatic as it was in fictional Walford, West London, as Wu continued to test his storied opponent.

Djokovic survived the scare on Center Court in a late-night match to advance to the second round

Leading 3-2 in the fourth set, he had three break points and looked confident of going 4-2 ahead, but Djokovic scored a penalty again to equalize the score.

Wu had another chance when he took advantage but was unable to take it again, his opponent’s experience and mentality becoming even stronger.

Wu left to deafening applause, while Djokovic was eventually booed as he played an imaginary violin with his racket.

He said: ‘It was really challenging for me. Wu deserves a big round of applause. I feel happy but not very fresh, it didn’t feel like the first round.

‘He surprised me with the level of every shot in the game. ‘He didn’t really have a weakness, I probably should have lost the fourth set.’