Jannik Sinner retained his Wimbledon title by defeating Alexander Zverev 6-7 (7) 7-6 (2) 6-3 6-4 in the final on Sunday to claim his fifth grand slam title and extend his reign over the German to 10 consecutive wins.
The victory put the Italian in rare company as the 10th man in the career era to successfully defend the title, cementing his reputation as one of the greatest players of his generation as he dismissed rival Carlos Alcaraz’s seven majors.
Both winners went 12 games out in a high-octane first set on a hot and windy afternoon, before Zverev shifted into gear and hit a forehand winner to emerge victorious, shouting and bowing in celebration.
The clean hitting continued but Zverev began to show signs of frustration towards the end of the second set, where a more animated Sinner won the first set and went on to level the contest at one set apiece.
Zverev raised his first break point in the middle of the third set after more than two and a half but he slipped and fell to the ground after being badly hit by Sinner’s strong shot. As Zverev screamed in pain, the Center Court crowd gasped as he rolled onto his back clutching his right knee.
The second seed dusted himself off and continued but was left burning when Sinner emerged in the next game to take a 5-3 lead, slamming his racket to the floor, and soon found himself trailing the Italians two sets to one after nearly three hours of battle.
Sinner stormed back to a 4-3 advantage in the fourth set as Zverev’s form dipped briefly, and the 24-year-old held on in the break to complete the win before collapsing on the hard court in jubilation.
