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When Jannik Sinner had putaway chances in Sunday’s Wimbledon final, he finished the drill and ensured any windows of opportunities for Carlos Alcaraz were slammed shut before they could mature into another Grand Slam meltdown.
With the disappointing five-set French Open marathon in the rearview, Sinner recovered from losing the first set to the grass court king 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to dethrone who has become his nemesis on tour.
Sinner, the world No. 1, is the first Italian to win on the men’s side at Wimbledon and snapped Alcaraz’s 20-match streak in London dating back to 2023.
“End of the day, it doesn’t really matter if I won or lost (in Paris), it was just as important (after the) tournament to understand what you did wrong,” Sinner said after the match. “That’s exactly what we did. We tried to accept the loss and just keep working. I’m so grateful that I’m healthy and I have great people around me.”
Sinner’s primary weapons are his power, strength and speed — and he flexed the full repertoire against Alcaraz. His performance over the final three sets looked close to the level of play he reached previously to start French Open final against the 22-year-old Spaniard, before that momentum wasted away late.
This time around, Sinner dropped the first set and it looked — initially — like he was going to drop his sixth straight match to Alcaraz. That’s when multiple looks to his coaching box during the changeover led to what appeared to be a schematic changeup of sorts.
Sinner started approaching the net more to combat Alcaraz’s drops and forced ball placement the rest of the battle, running his opponent from corner to corner with a swift forehand. A more consistent serve helped, too.
One of the most mechanically-sound players on tour, Sinner’s shots weren’t as crisp last time out against Alcaraz, but that changed on the worn grass at the All England Lawn Tennis Club. Several times in the final set, Sinner pressed the issue and fired a couple leaping backhand missiles toward an unguarded Alcaraz.
Unlike the last match, it was Alcaraz playing under pressure for the majority of three hours on court after Sinner won the second set and began to tighten his grip on the outcome. This was by design according to Sinner’s team, who revealed before the match they wanted to make Alcaraz play the entire court and disrupt patterns this time around.
Several fist pumps later after another break of serve in the fourth set, it was Sinner shaking the hands of The Princess of Wales to commemorate his first major on grass.
Rivalry intensifies
Novak Djokovic isn’t sure when he’s going to follow Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal into retirement, but it’s coming. And when it happens, Sinner and Alcaraz could further separate themselves from the rest of the pack in men’s tennis as the top two players in the game.
It’s hard to imagine any player on tour consistently beating these two when they’re at their best. Sinner has reached four consecutive majors finals with two wins, while Alcaraz just saw a lengthy grass-court winning streak end coming off his fifth career Grand Slam.
Over their 13 career meetings, which began in 2021 at the ATP Masters 1000 in Paris, 10 have taken place in the semifinals or finals of tournaments, including five majors.
“It’s so difficult to play against you, but we have an amazing relationship off the court and for on the court, keep going and keep pushing,” Sinner told Alcaraz on Centre Court. “You’re going to hold this (trophy) many times. You have already, two.”
