​Jannik Sinner welcomed the challenge posed by Alexander Zverev after defending his Wimbledon title to claim a fifth Grand Slam crown, while expressing hope that rival Carlos Alcaraz will return soon to add even more spice to the mix. Sinner fought through a grueling four-set battle with Zverev, finding his footing after a difficult French Open, and in doing so secured a second consecutive Wimbledon title. The world No. 1 had dominated Zverev in their previous nine meetings, winning 14 straight sets, but this final proved much closer and could have swung either way until Sinner seized a decisive break in the third set.
Sinner and Zverev, who finally captured a Grand Slam title at the French Open last month, have traded major titles in recent times, while Alcaraz has been sidelined with a wrist injury. The Spaniard is aiming to make a timely return for the hard-court season and could be back in time for the US Open. “Big, big respect to Sascha, because he’s doing something amazing. His game is growing and growing,” Sinner said. “At the same time, that’s exactly what’s good, because there’s always someone pushing you to the limit. We hope that Carlos is coming back as well, because tennis needs him. Having Novak [Djokovic] still around, and all the young players coming through, it’s really, really nice. Yet you always have to work hard and be involved in moments like this.”
Sinner had endured a surprise second-round exit at the French Open last month, wilting in the Paris heat and losing from two sets up to Juan Manuel Cerúndolo. He arrived at Wimbledon without a warm-up event on grass and took time to hit his stride, yet he elevated his level later in the tournament, beating Djokovic in the semi-finals and overcoming Zverev in the final. Last year, Sinner had bounced back from a tough French Open final defeat to Alcaraz—where he squandered three Championship points—to defeat the Spaniard and win Wimbledon for the first time.
“I think every Grand Slam is different—different story, different environment, different feelings before the tournament,” Sinner explained. “This one means a lot to me because it was tough after Paris again. Last year was tough as well. But coming here, I tried to put myself in the best possible position to be as competitive as possible. We put in a lot of work days in Monaco, very, very long. I sacrificed a lot of my time and everything to be in this position. Having this achievement means a lot to me. It was an amazing day today.”
Sinner ended Zverev’s Wimbledon bid, securing a final that kept the outcome in doubt until the crucial moment. Zverev, for his part, was buoyed by reaching a first Wimbledon final and, as the new world No. 2, felt that the gap to Sinner was narrowing despite suffering a 10th consecutive defeat to his rival. “I think so, yeah,” Zverev said. “He’s still the best player in the world.”