London, July 5 (IANS) World No. 1 and defending Wimbledon champion Jannik Sinner insists he is not burdened by last year’s triumph as he prepares to face Japanese qualifier Shintaro Mochizuki in the Round of 16 at the 2026 Wimbledon Championships on Sunday. Speaking ahead of the Centre Court clash, Sinner said his attention remains firmly on the immediate challenge rather than protecting his title.

The Italian has endured a demanding route into the second week at the All England Club. His title defence began with a five-set escape against Miomir Kecmanovic, a match in which he battled through two falls and a bleeding foot before recovering to advance.

Despite returning to the venue where he lifted his maiden Wimbledon crown a year ago, Sinner said he is not approaching the tournament with a title-defence mindset.

“I always say that I am not defending anything. I just try to get as close as I can. Whatever happened in the past is in the past,” Sinner told JioStar.

While acknowledging the significance of last year’s success, the 24-year-old stressed that past achievements offer no guarantees in a Grand Slam.

“I am very happy to be back here at Wimbledon. I have great memories, of course of last year, but I also know that it is very tricky,” he added.

Sinner recovered from his opening-round scare with increasingly assured performances, defeating Nuno Borges in straight sets to register the most Grand Slam match wins by an Italian man before cruising past Jenson Brooksby in the third round with an impressive display at the net.

Even so, the top seed made it clear he is refusing to look beyond his next opponent, and added that any thoughts about extending his title defence would have to wait until after the contest against Mochizuki.

“I never take any match lightly. I know the next match is going to be tough. That is the only thing I am focused on right now. After that, we will see how it goes,” he said.

With confidence building after a difficult start to the tournament, Sinner will aim to book his place in the Wimbledon quarter-finals and move one step closer to retaining the title he won so memorably last summer.

–IANS

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