World number one Jannik Sinner defended his Wimbledon title after beating Alexander Zverev in a thrilling four-set final on Sunday to win his fifth Grand Slam crown.
Zverev, playing his first Wimbledon final just weeks after winning the French Open, made a strong start by taking the opening set in a tense tie-break. However, Sinner raised his level as the match went on and fought back to win 6-7(7), 7-6(2), 6-3, 6-4.
The match remained evenly balanced for nearly three hours before the momentum shifted in Sinner’s favour. Zverev slipped awkwardly while chasing a drop shot in the third set and, although he continued, he looked affected by the fall. Sinner soon took control and never looked back.
The 24-year-old, who became the first Italian to win the Wimbledon singles title last year by defeating Carlos Alcaraz, is now among just 10 men in the Open Era to successfully defend the title.
It was also Sinner’s 10th straight victory over Zverev, although the German pushed him harder than ever. The 29-year-old was hoping to become the first German man since Michael Stich in 1991 to lift the Wimbledon trophy.
There had been some doubts over Sinner’s form after his disappointing French Open campaign and a difficult first-round match against Miomir Kecmanovic at Wimbledon. But he silenced those concerns with an outstanding finish to the tournament. He did not lose serve in his semi-final win over Novak Djokovic and once again showed why he is the world’s best player in the final.
“There’s no better place to play tennis,” Sinner said after lifting the trophy.
“You wake up on Sunday knowing it’s a very special day. You never know how many chances you’ll get to be here, so I never take moments like this for granted.
“It always takes two players to produce a match like this. We both gave everything we had. I’m happy to win, but I’m also proud of the level of tennis we played.”
The opening set was of the highest quality, with both players producing powerful hitting and hardly giving away any chances. Sinner had the only break point of the first 12 games but failed to convert it.
Zverev eventually edged the tie-break after saving a set point with a big ace, ending Sinner’s run of 14 consecutive sets won against him.
The second set followed a similar pattern, with Zverev dominating on serve. But this time it was Sinner who took control in the tie-break to level the match.
The turning point came in the third set. At 3-3, Zverev earned his first break point of the match, but while chasing Sinner’s drop shot he slipped and fell behind the baseline. Sinner immediately crossed the net to check on him. Although Zverev continued, he was clearly not moving as freely.
Sinner held serve before breaking Zverev for the first time. Frustrated, the German threw his racket as the match began to slip away.
Zverev fought hard in the fourth set, but Sinner stayed calm and broke serve again to move ahead 4-3.
The match ended in style with Sinner winning a spectacular 23-shot rally to earn match point before sealing victory with a forehand winner after three hours and 46 minutes. It was also his 100th Grand Slam match win.
