Jannik Sinner took slightly more time to prepare for his serve as he trailed 15-30 and 1-2 in the fourth set of his second Wimbledon final. In a serve‑dominant match that had produced just one break in more than three hours, this was a pivotal moment. The gusty wind was out of control, but Sinner still offered a decisive response: service winner, service winner, service winner. Hold.
Sinner delivered this supreme level of serving for the entirety of a savage 3hr 46min contest, allowing the world No 1 to recover from a bruising first set and defend his title by defeating Alexander Zverev, the second seed, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (2), 6-3, 6-4.
“Jannik Sinner beats Alexander Zverev in four sets to defend his Wimbledon men's singles title.”
“It has been an amazing final once again. It always takes two players,” Sinner said. “I’m very happy about the win but also about the level we played.”
Sinner, 24, joins an elite list of men who have retained the Wimbledon trophy since 1968: Rod Laver, John Newcombe, Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz. This was his fifth Grand Slam title.
For Zverev, who won his first major at the French Open only 35 days ago, it was his fourth final loss in six years. “First of all, Jannik, I don’t really like you anymore,” he joked. “He showed once again why he’s the best player in the world.” Zverev will rise to No 2 in the rankings on Monday.
The Prince and Princess of Wales watched with their children George and Charlotte, alongside Hollywood stars Nicole Kidman and Ben Stiller. Sinner’s mother, Siglinde, could not bear to watch at times. “My mum, I saw she left the stadium a couple of times,” Sinner said. “Being a player, it’s not easy.”
After a shock second-round loss at the French Open, where he wilted in the heat, Sinner retreated from competitive action and did not play a warm-up tournament. “We put in a lot of work days in Monaco, very, very long,” he said. “Definitely sacrificing a lot of my time and everything to be in this position.”
Sinner’s world-leading forehand had misfired earlier in the tournament, but his transformed serve – averaging 132mph from Zverev – paired with scrambling defence and clever drop shots proved decisive. The key break came in the third set after Zverev slipped on his only break point of the match, clutching his knee before being helped up by Sinner.
Sinner’s relief was clear as he threw himself to the floor after securing victory. “There is no failure if you don’t win a grand slam,” he said. “It’s very, very rare days. Now I have five in my whole life.”
