Jannik Sinner is once again the king of Wimbledon. The world No. 1 turned back a determined Alexander Zverev in a hard-fought four-set final on Sunday, winning 6-7 (7-9), 7-6 (7-2), 6-3, 6-4 to become just the 10th man in the professional era to successfully defend the Wimbledon men’s singles title.
The victory on Centre Court, in front of the Prince and Princess of Wales along with Prince George and Princess Charlotte in the Royal Box, gave Sinner his fifth Grand Slam title overall and his second straight championship at Wimbledon. It was also the Italian’s 100th career win in a major, a milestone reached on the lawns of the All England Club.
The match extended Sinner’s dominance over Zverev to 10 consecutive victories, though it was anything but comfortable. Zverev, fresh off winning his first Grand Slam title at the French Open, came out swinging and looked every bit the man capable of finally breaking through at Wimbledon. He took the opening set in a tight tiebreak, powering a forehand winner to level the contest and send Centre Court into a frenzy.
Sinner, who had needed a big semifinal performance against Novak Djokovic to reach the final, struggled early to time his shots and lost the only break point of the first two sets on a routine forehand sent long. But as the second-set tiebreak arrived, his game clicked into gear. Suddenly it was Sinner dictating rallies, and a missed Zverev backhand on set point leveled the match heading into the business end of the Wimbledon final.
The third set brought its own drama. Zverev had an opening when Sinner dropped serve at 3-3, only for the German to take an awkward tumble behind the baseline moments later. Sinner jogged around the net to help his opponent up before play resumed, and the momentum swung back in the Italian’s favor. Despite slipping himself in the very next game, Sinner recovered to seize the break and never let go of the set.
By the fourth set, a gusting wind swept across Centre Court as shadows lengthened late on Wimbledon’s finals Sunday. Sinner broke again at 3-3 with a forehand fired into the corner, and though Zverev threw everything he had at his opponent — including a full-length dive for a volley — the top seed served it out, dropping to his back on the grass after the final winner sealed the Wimbledon crown.
“It’s amazing. To Alex — he got his first Grand Slam in Paris this year, and he was so, so close today,” Sinner said afterward. “If he keeps playing like this, I am sure he will have this Wimbledon trophy soon. There is no better place to play tennis, honestly. I could feel the nerves when I woke up, and this is a very, very special day. I never take it for granted.”
Zverev, who at 29 was playing in his first Wimbledon final and is the first German man to reach the title match since Boris Becker in 1995, was gracious in defeat. “Congratulations to Jannik, he showed once again why he’s the best player in the world,” Zverev said. “Unfortunately it didn’t go my way. At 29 years old, this year was the first time I actually believed I could win this Wimbledon trophy.”
Despite the loss, Zverev will rise to No. 2 in the world rankings on Monday, overtaking Carlos Alcaraz, a reflection of the remarkable season the German has built since breaking through in Paris. But Wimbledon remained Sinner’s stage. The 24-year-old has now won 17 of his last 18 sets against Zverev, captured his 30th career title, and improved to 37-1 in his last 38 matches overall. With this win, he has cemented his place among the dominant players of his generation as he continues chasing down Alcaraz’s seven majors.
