Defending champion Jannik Sinner is expected to be the Men’s Wimbledon Champion two weeks today.

The Italian did collapse in the Paris second round but that was a freak event. Before that, Sinner became the first man to win the first five 1000 titles in a season.

Thinking about it, how freakish was that Paris result, really?

The defeat in the Australian Open semis, where he was the two-time defending champion, to Djokovic was also a little strange. Plus, he was also predicted by many to beat Alcaraz in last year’s US Open final, but ended up distinctly second best.

Also, Sinner suffered one of the most catastrophic slam episodes when he let championship points slip to Alcaraz in the 2025 Roland Garros final.

So, Sinner’s recent Roland Garros defeat may not be that out-there at all.

This Wimbledon is his chance to demonstrate once again that he can be in control in a slam, as he did last year, at the US Open 2024, and the Australian Opens 2024 and 2025.

If he were to lose this slam, he’d be a No.1 without a Major and speculation would be ripe as to how good he really is.

He’d also come a clear second best to Alcaraz, who completed the career slam last Australian Open.

Sinner’s draw is as follows:

R1: Kecmanovic.

R2: Borges/Boyer

R3: Buse (31)

R4: Darderi (14) (Jodar also lurks in this section).

QF: Medvedev (8)

SF: Felix Auger-Aliassime (3) (Djokovic is in this section)

F: Zverev (2)

Some might say this draw was a gift from the Gods.

Sinner didn’t enter a warm up tournament but he has been practising in London. The weather will start off very manageable for him but it will get hot and humid, apparently, on or around the first weekend. He did win in a heat wave, though, last year, even if it was a little more bearable than the one that hit Paris when he lost to Francisco Cerundolo.

One expects Sinner and his team have been working on dealing with the kind of weather conditions he faced at Roland Garros better than he did. Facing similar circumstances and buckling again to a much lower ranked player would be lightning striking twice.

Predictions are hard enough anyway without adding the unpredictable Sinner into the mix. Without Alcaraz in the draw, he really should win. The tour isn’t stacked with slam champions at the top and he’d been dealing with his rivals with almost contempt until last month.

If Sinner were to lose, the champion is anyone’s guess. Here’s some of the suspects:

Djokovic. Grass is the surface least played on and players struggle on it. Should the draw fall apart, the seven times champion will be there to take advantage. Could face Fonseca in the round of 16 and while Grass isn’t the Brazilian’s best surface, he’s young enough to adapt and tailor things, and may have added some more tools to his already diverse bag.

Felix Auger-Aliassime: Former Halle champion. Has come back from the career wilderness and reach No.4. Recently made the Roland Garros QFs, demonstrating a new found consistency.

Fritz: The recent Halle runner up. He’s got all the weapons needed. This season has been so bizarre overall that Fritz winning would somehow fit in.

Tiafoe: Halle champion. A big talent with potential who has underachieved.

Humbert: Eastbourne runner up and knows how to play on grass. Former Halle champion. Made his first 1000 final at Paris-Bercy last season.

I haven’t included Zverev. Grass is his worst surface and he’s due to face his nemesis Fritz in the QFs.

For now, I’m picking Sinner. The No.1 has a lot to prove, was playing brilliantly up until Paris, and knows how to play on Grass. Nevertheless, his losing wouldn’t be a massive surprise and if he did, we’d be in for another thrilling ride like the recent Roland Garros rollercoaster.