LONDON: Jannik Sinner has ended Carlos Alcaraz’s 20-match winning streak at Wimbledon to become the first Italian player to claim a singles title at the Grand Slam.
The world No.1 withstood a barrage of winners from the two-time champion to prevail 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, and end his run of five consecutive losses to the Spaniard. Sinner now has four Grand Slam titles to his name, with the only major trophy missing from his collection being Roland Garros—the tournament where he suffered a heartbreaking loss to Alcaraz earlier this season.
The triumph ended Alcaraz’s career-best run of 24 straight wins on the Tour. He was bidding to follow in the footsteps of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic by winning Wimbledon three times in a row.
“It has been emotionally (tough). I had a tough loss in Paris,” Sinner commented during his on-court interview.
“But it doesn’t matter how you win or lose. You just have to understand what you did wrong and you have to accept the loss and keep working. This is why I hold this trophy here. I’m just grateful I am healthy and I have a great team around me. Holding this trophy means a lot.”
There were high expectations for the 13th instalment of the Sinner-Alcaraz rivalry after their blockbuster meeting in Paris just a couple of months ago. On that occasion, Sinner failed to convert a trio of championship points in the fourth set and ended up losing to Alcaraz in what was the longest final to ever take place at the French Open, lasting five hours and 29 minutes.
Taking to Centre Court in what was the youngest combined age men’s final to take place at SW19 since 2006, top seed Sinner was the first to break after capitalising on a duo of errors coming from across the court to move ahead 3-2. However, Alcaraz wasted no time finding a way back to level, absorbing the Italian’s powerful hitting. He claimed four games in a row to turn his fortunes around and snatched the opening set.
Not to be disheartened, Sinner came roaring back at the start of the second frame to open up a 2-0 lead, and this time he was able to maintain the advantage. He nearly opened up a 5-2 stronghold after back-to-back Alcaraz double faults handed him a break point, but he failed to convert. Nevertheless, he drew the match level with the help of two stunning forehand winners with the first being down the line and then the next cross-court.
Splitting sets is nothing new in this match-up, with the same also happening in eight out of their 12 previous meetings on the Tour. Sinner continued nudging ahead during the tightly contested encounter. In the third set at 4-4, a winning shot deep into the court gave him a break point chance, which he converted after Alcaraz slipped during a rally on the next point. Serving to take the two-set lead, he sealed it with a 133 mph serve.
Closing in on history was far from easy for Sinner, who also had to contend with the animated crowd, who noticeably cheered on Alcaraz when he fell down a break in the fourth set. At one point, it was easy to think the tournament was being held in Madrid, not London. Nevertheless, Sinner weathered the storm. A backhand volley elevated him to a trio of match points. He missed his first but prevailed on his second. Prompting pure emotion from Sinner, who took a moment to crouch down and stroke the grass.
“The last game I served very well, so I am happy about that,” said Sinner.
“Best of five sets can be hard and every moment can change the match. But I held my nerves.”
The triumph comes during what has been a challenging year for Sinner, who was suspended for 90 days after the Australian Open for an anti-doping violation that occurred in 2024. It was accepted that the Italian had a degree of fault as he is in charge of ensuring his team follows the correct protocol. No evidence showed that he intentionally planned to consume a banned substance.
“We (Sinner and his team) would never thought we would be in this position when I was young. This was only a dream, the dream of the dream because it was so far away from where I’m from. I’m just living my dream.”
As for Alcaraz, he has now won Wimbledon twice and reached the final on another occasion in only five appearances made at the Grand Slam. One of his downfalls against Sinner was his second serve, where he won only 29 out of 57 points played.
“It’s always difficult to lose,” said Alcaraz.
“I have to congratulate Jannik once again. He really deserves this trophy and he played great tennis these two weeks.
“I’m proud of everything. At the beginning of the season, I was struggling a little bit, on the court and off the court. But I’ve been enjoying being on the court again. I’m excited every time I’m on the court, and I have to thank my team and my family.
“I just want to keep it going and to keep bringing joy on the court.“
Sinner is the first Italian player in history to have won a Grand Slam title on multiple surfaces.
