WIMBLEDON, England — Forty-five days after his stunning defeat in the second round of the French Open and 163 days after his bid for a three-peat at the Australian Open failed in the semifinals, Jannik Sinner found himself back on top of the tennis world on Sunday.
With a 6-7 (7), 7-6 (2), 6-3, 6-4 victory over world No. 2 Alexander Zverev, the man who eventually won the crown in Paris, Sinner rallied to become Wimbledon champion for the second year in a row. After landing a forehand to win the trophy after a tense three hours and 46 minutes, he fell to the ground and covered his eyes with his hands in what appeared to be sheer relief.
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It had been a year since he last lifted a major trophy, and it felt like all the emotions had caught up with him in one very brief moment. But then he sat down again, quickly collected himself and hugged Zverev.
Suddenly everything felt familiar again and he found himself back in the place and position where he knew he belonged. 24-year-old Sinner became the Grand Slam champion for the fifth time.
After thanking the crowd during the trophy presentation ceremony, he explained that a player never knows how many times he will have the opportunity to play on Center Court on Championship Sunday and how special it will be. “I never take things for granted,” he added.
But after his stunning comeback victory, he made it clear that he must remain a favorite almost wherever he plays – a man capable of countless finals and trophies – and silenced all those who had begun to doubt his greatness.
And after such a year of ups and downs, this year meant everything.
“We arrived 12 days early and hadn’t played in the opening tournament, so we knew it would be very difficult for him to get through the first couple of matches,” Darren Cahill, one of Sinner’s coaches, said after the match. “He just puts his head down and goes to work. He had a great attitude throughout the tournament.”
“He will have a long and distinguished career. He’s going to win more of these tournaments. I don’t think this tournament was any more important than any other he’s played in, but it was pretty darn special, that’s for sure.”
Jannik Sinner defended his Wimbledon title on Sunday, beating Alexander Zverev 6-7 (7), 7-6 (2), 6-3, 6-4. Susan Mullane-Imagn
EXPECTATIONS CANNOT were higher than Sinner at the start of Roland Garros.
After a disappointing five-set exit to Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open, he recorded one of the most impressive runs in recent memory, winning all five Masters 1000-level tournaments in the spring, from hard court at Indian Wells to clay at the Italian Open. Due to the absence of his fierce rival Carlos Alcaraz due to a long-term wrist injury, he was the overwhelming favorite for both the French Open and Wimbledon titles.
Victory in Paris would complete his Grand Slam career, a rare feat in tennis that he could achieve at just 24 years old.
After his routine first-round win, he was on a 30-match winning streak. And against Juan Manuel Cerundolo, ranked 56th in the world, he led 6-3, 6-2, 5-1 and was just one game away from advancing. But on a sweltering day in the Parisian heat, Sinner wilted in the sun. What happened next is well known and is already part of his knowledge.
While serving for the match at 5-4, 0-40, he began to have cramps and returned to his chair. He then left the court for a few minutes to receive medical attention. The sinner returned, but never fully recovered. He lost 18 points in a row and seven games in a row, reaching the fourth set. And then he found himself in front of the once unthinkable deciding bracket.
It ultimately ended in a shocking 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1, and Sinner became the first top seed to lose at the tournament since 2000. In front of a room packed to the brim with reporters, he explained that he wasn’t feeling well but didn’t blame the heat.
0:54
The sinner recovered from the fall and won the point, Zverev slammed his racket
“I don’t remember the last time I felt this weak,” Sinner said. “But yeah, look, it is what it is. I tried to stay there with everything I had today and that was the most I had. Of course, (it’s) a pity because I played very well the first couple of sets and also the third set was very good. Yes, it’s a sport.”
But now, with unexpected extra time to prepare for Wimbledon, he vowed he could turn things around.
“I just need time to realize what went wrong here and (I’m) confident we can practice in the weeks leading up to Wimby,” he said. “… There are still a lot of (tournaments) to be played this year.”
Before the start of the All England Club game just two weeks ago, Sinner again addressed the media. This time he was more open about the impact of the heat. He said that while training on grass, he and his team paid special attention to playing in hot conditions, although he did not promise instant results.
“We’re happy with what we’re doing at this point,” he said. “We won’t see results here. It’s a long process. There’s no magic in it.”
But playing in the tournament’s first match on Center Court (a distinction reserved for the defending men’s champion), Sinner didn’t immediately look like the consummate force he’s been all spring. He lost the first set to Miomir Kecmanovic, the world No. 50, and more trouble seemed to be brewing.
Somehow, after five sets, three and a half hours, 52 unforced errors, a hard fall to the grass and even a bloody sneaker from his fingernail, Sinner eluded victory. But it was not the most convincing effort and once again threatened his status as the favorite.
Having left the French Open early, Sinner came to Wimbledon with the goal of winning. (Photo by Frey/TPN/Getty Images)
He later attributed his slow start to nerves, and Sinner found a way to quickly calm doubters. Although he needed two tiebreakers in his second round match against Nuno Borges, he did not lose another set en route to the final. In the semi-final against Djokovic, meeting for the first time since the Australian Open, Sinner was the epitome of clinical efficiency. He masterfully scored a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 takedown that Djokovic simply called a “good old fashioned punch.”
“I don’t think I made too many mistakes,” a dejected Djokovic said after the match. “I was only a level or two worse than him. I mean, he played so solid all around. … (it’s) very difficult to read his delivery, (what) an incredible weapon (it) has become (in) the last couple (of) years since he changed his technique. Of course, he is as reliable as anyone off the court. That’s all.”
Sinner faced only one break point throughout the entire match. He saved him with an ace. It was only the third time in Djokovic’s esteemed career that he failed to break serve in a completed match.
Going into Sunday’s final against Zverev, Sinner had a strong chance of winning, largely due to his recent dominance over the German. Sinner had a 10-4 career record against Zverev and had won their last nine meetings, a streak that dates back to 2023. Perhaps even more astonishingly, Sinner has not lost a set or serve to Zverev in his last seven matches.
In his only previous Grand Slam final meeting, in Melbourne last year, Sinner was ruthless and quickly demolished the title 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-3.
“In general, Yannick is better than me at the moment,” Zverev said after the match. “It’s that simple.”
But Sunday was different. It was the first time the two had played since Zverev had finally become a major champion – having seized the moment in Paris without Sinner or Alcaraz to stop him – and he had a different level of confidence. Zverev was relentless in his attack from the start and the result was two fierce first sets that saw not a single break serve and both sets ending in tie-breaks. The crowd, well aware of Zverev’s underdog status and his history with Sinner, seemed able to sense the potential upset.
It was all still early in the third set.
But the momentum began to change. Zverev slipped and fell hard in game seven, wincing in pain in his right knee. Sinner helped him off the ground, and Zverev was able to continue playing. Sinner then closed out the game by scoring the next two points to remain on serve.
But in the next game, Sinner finally gained the advantage and was suddenly in complete control of his destiny. Moments later he won the set. Zverev threw his racket to the ground in frustration.
Sinner, in contrast, showed little to no emotion and instead continued to display his steady calm and undeniable determination. In the fourth set, after trading two serves in the first six games, Sinner broke through again, trailing a forehand winner. Victory now seemed inevitable.
Sinner decisively won the next four service points and now had one game remaining. Zverev responded with a grab, but Sinner was unstoppable.
“Yannick, I don’t like you anymore,” Zverev said jokingly during an on-court interview. “I lost to you nine times in a row… He showed once again why he is the best player in the world.”
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Sinner wins second set in tiebreaker against Zverev
There were 10 losses in a row on Sunday, but the mood remained. When Sinner is at his best, he is nearly impossible to defeat by anyone other than Carlos Alcaraz. But after playing in his first major final since the US Open in September, which he lost to Alcaraz, Sinner said he wasn’t thinking about anything other than trying to enjoy the moment.
And it seemed that what he had found over the past year, perhaps more than anything else, was perspective.
“The one thing I’m really happy about is that I try my best every day,” Sinner said to another packed room full of reporters Sunday night. “Sometimes you have a tournament with a good result and sometimes you don’t. There’s nothing you can do about it.
“There is no failure if you don’t win a Grand Slam. Those are very, very rare days. Now I have five in my whole life. We’re talking about five Grand Slams. But (at the end of the day) it’s five days out of many other days. You just want to enjoy it. Today was a very tough day. If I lose, it’s still a great day. Playing in a Grand Slam final is so rare and so special.”