Sinner feels better ahead of Wimbledon as heat concerns grow

Jannik Sinner said he felt better heading into Wimbledon after the French Open collapse that ended his 31-match winning streak, but the forecast has kept heat at the centre of the tournament again. With southern England under Red Extreme Heat Warnings and temperatures in parts of the region expected to climb to around 39C, player welfare has become as much a storyline as the defending champion’s form.

Sinner’s concerns are rooted in Paris, where he was knocked out in the second round at Roland Garros on May 28, 2026, by Juan Manuel Cerundolo after building a commanding lead before cramping in the heat. The loss was unusual enough to stand out even in a packed tennis calendar, and it exposed how quickly physical conditions can overwhelm even the game’s most durable players.

Before Wimbledon, Sinner said all of his tests were good, but he stressed that training in hotter conditions remains important because players are likely to face heat wherever they compete. He said temperatures are rising year by year, putting more pressure on recovery, hydration and conditioning work that once mattered mainly as marginal gains. For a top player trying to defend a Grand Slam title, that preparation now looks like a basic requirement.

Wimbledon’s 2026 Championships run from June 22 to July 12, with a record total prize money fund of £64.2 million, up 20% on 2025. The men’s and women’s singles champions will each earn £3.6 million, even as top players limit their media duties to 15 minutes in the first week as part of an ongoing protest over Grand Slam revenue shares. The dispute has added another layer of tension to a tournament already shaped by the weather.

The All England Club has built in a concrete safeguard: Wimbledon’s heat rule applies to all singles events in qualifying and the main draw this year and allows a 10-minute break in singles play when activated. The Championships also now use live electronic line calling on all courts, a change that matters in a tournament where heat-related disruption has already raised the stakes of every match. For Sinner, the lesson from Paris is straightforward. Form matters, but so does surviving the conditions long enough to use it.