Jannik Sinner overcame Alexander Zverev in four sets to successfully defend his Wimbledon crown and extend his dominance.
Sinner joins exclusive Wimbledon club after epic final victory
After a relatively disappointing start to the season, falling to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open semifinals, and suffering a stunning collapse against Juan Manuel Cerúndolo in the second round of the French Open, Jannik Sinner roared back in spectacular fashion at Wimbledon.
On Sunday, at the All England Club, the 24-year-old Italian successfully defended the title he first won in 2025. Sinner came from behind to defeat Alexander Zverev once again – extending his winning streak over the German to 10 consecutive matches – in a gripping final decided by the finest of margins: 6-7 (7), 7-6 (2), 6-3, 6-4 in three hours and 46 minutes.
The victory makes Sinner just the 10th player in the Open Era to win back-to-back Wimbledon men’s singles titles.
Sinner now owns five Grand Slam titles, moving closer to Carlos Alcaraz’s seven. Between them, the pair have captured 10 of the last 11 majors, underlining their dominance of the men’s game.
Many still miss the Spaniard’s flair. Before the match, respected American tennis journalist Christopher Clarey summed up a common feeling: “He has to come back. Tennis is different with him.” Sunday’s final was an outstanding contest, but it also highlighted the contrast between Sinner’s precision, Zverev’s power, and Alcaraz’s unmatched variety.
The opening two sets were decided by tie-breaks. Zverev snapped a run of 14 consecutive tie-break losses to Sinner by taking the first, before the Italian responded emphatically in the second.
The turning point finally arrived in the third set when Sinner broke Zverev’s serve for the first time. Until then, the German had been untouchable behind his delivery, finishing with 17 aces and landing 76% of his first serves. Frustration briefly got the better of Zverev, who smashed his racket, but unlike in previous disappointments, he refused to disappear from the contest despite being increasingly hurt by a growing tally of unforced errors.
By then, Sinner had found another level. He struck 58 winners and completed the tournament without allowing either Novak Djokovic or Zverev to break his serve. In fact, he won 46 consecutive service games dating back to the quarterfinals against Jan-Lennard Struff.
The Italian eventually earned a second break before sealing his 100th career match victory at Grand Slam events.
Despite his setbacks earlier in the year, Sinner’s 2026 season is already extraordinary. He has collected five ATP Masters 1000 titles – Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome – along with Wimbledon. Across his career he now owns 30 ATP titles, compared with Alcaraz’s 26.
Remarkably, Sinner has lost only three matches all season: to Djokovic in Melbourne, Cerúndolo in Paris, and Jakub Menšík in the Doha quarterfinals. On Monday he begins his 80th week as world No. 1.
As for Zverev, the defeat may ultimately prove encouraging. He improved on his performance in the 2025 Australian Open final, where Sinner beat him in straight sets, and will rise to world No. 2. If he continues on this trajectory, he could become a genuine disruptor to the increasingly dominant Sinner-Alcaraz rivalry.
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