In a rather surprising move, World No. 1 Jannik Sinner will not be playing on the iconic Center Court at Wimbledon for his third-round match against Jenson Brooksby on Friday.
The match will instead be played on Court 1, prompting speculation about why the defending champion might not be competing on the premier stage at the All England Club.
Jannik Sinner To Play Wimbledon Match on Court 1 As Novak Djokovic Bags Center Court
Sinner played his first two matches at the 2026 Wimbledon Championships on Center Court, opening the tournament on Monday in the traditional first match — an honor reserved for the defending champion. He was pushed to five sets by Miomir Kecmanović in the opening round before finding his rhythm against Nuno Borges, cruising through in straight sets in the second round. That match was again scheduled as the first on Center Court on Wednesday.
The Order of Play for Day 5 has Sinner listed to compete on Court 1 rather than the Center Court. His match will follow the opening contest between Naomi Osaka and Daria Kasatkina.
The news left some fans confused as to why the defending men’s singles champion was assigned a match on Court 1 rather than the main court. While the decision to have Sinner play on Court 1 may come as a surprise, it may stem from seven-time champion Novak Djokovic potentially requesting the opportunity to play an outdoor match on Center Court. In his first two rounds, the Serb played under the closed roof in the evening and was not entirely pleased with the conditions.
Fans on social media also reacted to the update, and some speculated that Sinner may have requested to play on Court 1 to avoid the night match on the main court, where he might have had to come back the next day to complete it given the tournament’s 11 p.m. curfew.
It’s highly likely Sinner himself requested to be put on court 1 to avoid the last slot. He probably wants to dodge the possibility of dealing with a curfew and coming back next day to finish his match. That’s why he’s lost between courts.pic.twitter.com/kumA9RHFE4 https://t.co/7EIYbEnGux
— ATG (@Lucid_Neur0n) July 2, 2026
Some also pointed out how Sinner would have to adjust to the conditions of the night match if he were to play on Center Court in the third round. Night matches have frequently stretched until 11 p.m., leaving players with limited recovery time before their next match.
everyone needs to chill out about jannik playing court 1 😭😭😭like u guys this is def at his request to avoid playing night session, otherwise he’d have the faa spot no questions asked https://t.co/NGMk2LWoGH
— julyia 🏁 MM100 S1NNER SWEEP (@maranellosaint) July 2, 2026
Sinner’s last match on Court 1 came in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships, where he cruised to victory against Ben Shelton. He then went on to defeat Djokovic in the semifinals before overcoming Carlos Alcaraz in the final for his first Wimbledon title.
In the third round, Jannik Sinner will be looking to improve his win-loss record for 2026 to 40-3. He has been in stellar form this year and will be keen to end his wait for a fifth Grand Slam title.
