World number one Jannik Sinner defeated Alexander Zverev 6-7(7), 7-6(2), 6-3, 6-4 on Sunday to win a second consecutive Wimbledon title at the All England Club. This is Sinner’s fifth Grand Slam title and his first tournament since his painful exit in the second round at the French Open, where he suffered a dramatic collapse in difficult circumstances.After sealing victory with a stunning forehand down the line on his first point of the tournament, the Italian fell on his back on the grass to celebrate.
Last year, Sinner responded to disappointment at Roland Garros by winning Wimbledon, defeating Carlos Alcaraz in the final after wasting three match points against the Spaniard in the French Open final.The win also strengthened Sinner’s dominance over Zverev, marking his 10th successive victory over the German, who arrived at Wimbledon after winning his first Grand Slam title at the French Open.
Zverev’s injury proved costly
The final remained evenly balanced until the third set when Zverev earned his first break point of the match at 3-3 after two hours and 42 minutes of play.During the point, Sinner played a drop shot and Zverev slid on the turf while chasing him. The German appeared to be hyperextending his right knee and was clearly feeling discomfort.
Sinner immediately walked around the net to help his opponent get back to his feet. Although Zverev continued playing, he seemed bothered by the injury.
Shortly after, he missed a forehand and threw his racket out of frustration, dropping his serve for the first time in the match, allowing Sinner to lead 5-3 before taking the set easily.Before that, Zverev had ended Sinner’s run of 14 straight sets against him by winning a close tiebreak in the opening set with a forehand winner. He celebrated loudly towards his team.
Throughout the match, Zverev was regularly serving at speeds of up to 139 mph (224 km/h), while Sinner relied on precise, well-placed aces.
As the match progressed, Sinner began to read Zverev’s serve better, especially during the second set tiebreak, where the German also began committing more forehand errors.
Perfect response after Paris heartbreak
Sinner arrived at Wimbledon looking to put a disappointing French Open campaign behind him.
In late May, the Italian suffered a shock second-round defeat to world No. 56 Juan Manuel Cerundolo after his 30-match winning streak ended despite being one game away from a straight sets victory in extremely hot and humid conditions.Following that defeat, Sinner underwent medical examinations in Milan and did not play any further official matches until Wimbledon.
He started his campaign in London with a hard-fought five-set win over Miomir Kekmanović after losing the first set. From that point on, he did not drop another set until the final, including a dominant semi-final win over Novak Djokovic.
Update classification
Despite his second-place finish, Zverev will move above Carlos Alcaraz to become world number two when the rankings are updated on Monday.Alcaraz missed the French Open and Wimbledon this year due to a right wrist injury.
