World no. 1 Jannik Sinner defeated Alexander Zverev 6-7 (7), 7-6 (2), 6-3, 6-4 on Sunday to win his second consecutive Wimbledon title at the All England Club. It was Sinner’s fifth Grand Slam title and his first tournament since his painful second-round exit at the French Open, where he suffered a dramatic collapse in difficult conditions.After sealing the victory with a stunning forehand down the line on his first championship point, the Italian fell flat on his back on the grass to celebrate. Last year, Sinner also responded to the disappointment at Roland Garros by winning Wimbledonbeating Carlos Alcaraz in the final after letting three match points slip away against the Spaniard in the French Open final.The win also extended Sinner’s dominance over Zverev, marking his 10th consecutive victory against the German, who had arrived at Wimbledon after winning his first Grand Slam title at the French Open.
Zverev’s injury is expensive
The final was balanced until the third set, when Zverev earned his first break point of the match at 3-3 after 2 hours and 42 minutes of play.During the point, Sinner played a drop shot and Zverev slipped on the grass as he chased. The German appeared to hyper-extend his right knee and was clearly in discomfort.Sinner immediately walked around the net to help his opponent back to his feet. Although Zverev continued to play, he seemed bothered by the injury.Soon after, he missed a forehand, threw his racket in frustration and lost serve for the first time in the match, allowing Sinner to go ahead 5-3 before comfortably serving out the set.Before that, Zverev had ended Sinner’s 14-set streak against him by winning a tight opening set tiebreak with a forehand winner. He celebrated with a loud roar towards his team.Throughout the match, Zverev regularly served at speeds of up to 139 mph (224 kph), while Sinner relied on accurate and well-placed aces. As the match progressed, however, Sinner began to read Zverev’s serve better, especially during the second set tiebreak, where the German also began to make more forehand errors.
Perfect answer after the heart of Paris
Sinner arrived at Wimbledon looking to put a disappointing French Open campaign behind him.In late May, the Italian suffered a second-round defeat to world No. 56 Juan Manuel Cerundolo after his 30 match winning streak ended despite a straight game win in extremely hot and humid conditions.After that defeat, Sinner underwent medical examinations in Milan and did not play another official match until Wimbledon.His campaign in London began with a tough five-set win over Miomir Kecmanovic after dropping the opening set. From that point on, he didn’t lose another set until the final, including a dominant semi-final victory over Novak Djokovic.
Ranking update
Despite finishing runner-up, Zverev moves above Carlos Alcaraz to become the new world No. 2 when the rankings are updated on Monday.Alcaraz missed the French Open and Wimbledon this year due to a right wrist injury.