World No 1Jannik Sinner bounced back from a 5-week slumber since his French Open loss to world No 2 and defending wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz to avenging that defeat by dethroning the very man who broke his near invincibility at the threshold of victory in Paris, this time making no mistake about it atr the sport’s greatest show on earth to winning the men’s wimbledon singles crown for the first time in his career making certain a 4-6 slip first set was the first and the last of it to smashing his way through 6-4, 6-4, -6-4 to stopping the
two-time defending champion’s bid for a historic third consecutive title to becoming the first Italian to win Wimbledon .
For the 23-year old Italian it was the ultimate in his tennis career in triumphing over all adversaries of a head to head five losses to Alcaraz, a haunting 3 month dope related ban that he attributed to unknowingly consuming through a medication. That he rode over such a black chapter with his career reaching a point of second best to settling the issue in laying to rest such qualms in a long running holocaust to delivering an ace stroke from the bottom of the pit to greatness in subduing Alcaraz from his mighty pedestal of tournament favourite and crowd favourite to becoming the undisputed king was indeed the Italian’s moment to savour and cherish.
On a strictly professional note. But generous as ever in embracing his foe in all humility.
This time he Sinner was all immaculate as both traded shot for shot unrelenting, but Sinner proving too electric fast to wearing down the Spaniard.
The No. 1-ranked Sinner earned his fourth Grand Slam title overall, moving him one away from No. 2 Alcaraz’s total as the two young rivals separate themselves from the rest of the pack in men’s tennis.
Alcaraz had prevailed in the past five head-to-head matches between the two, most recently across five sets and nearly 5 1/2 hours at Roland-Garros on June 8. Sinner took a two-set lead in that one, then held a trio of match points, but couldn’t close the deal. That made Alcaraz 5-0 in major finals.
In ending Alcaraz’ reign over him, Sinner was the undisputed master in terrific play by both men, but also the occasional lapses.
Alcaraz had stepped into the sunlight bathing Centre Court as the owner of a career-best 24-match unbeaten run. He had won 20 matches in a row at the All England Club, including victories against Novak Djokovic in the 2023 and 2024 finals.
The last man to beat Alcaraz at Wimbledon? Sinner, in the fourth round in 2022.
It thus this served as a bookend win for Sinner, who proved what he kept telling anyone who asked: No, there would be no carryover from his heartbreak in Paris. Hard to imagine, though, that that collapse wasn’t on his mind at least a little on Sunday, especially when he faced two break points while serving at 4-3, 15-40 in the fourth set.
But he calmly took the next four points to hold there, and soon was serving out the win. When it ended, Sinner put both hands on his white hat. After embracing Alcaraz at the net, Sinner crouched on court with his head bowed, then pounded his right palm on the grass.
Indeed, Sinner put the French Open behind him in spectacular fashion. il
Fittingly, this marked the first time the same two men faced off in the title matches on the clay at Roland-Garros and the grass at the All England Club in the same year since Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal did it in 2006, 2007 and 2008. It hadn’t happened for more than a half-century before that trilogy.
Sinner has participated in each of the last four major finals, a stretch that began with a triumph at the U.S. Open last September and was followed by another at the Australian Open this January.
It was the fulfilment of a dream at long last for an altogether unfazed Sinner in a relentless victory trail from eliminating 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic in the semifinals.