Alexander Zverev was once again beaten by Jannik Sinner as he missed his opportunity to win the Wimbledon title.
Zverev was beaten by Sinner 6(7)-7, 7-6(2), 6-3, 6-4, as he was unable to add to his Roland Garros title last month.
This continued his unwanted head-to-head record against the world number one, with Sinner now winning 10 consecutive matches against Zverev.
Despite losing another match to Sinner, Zverev has named himself as one of three players who he thinks can still challenge the Wimbledon champion.
Alexander Zverev says he is one of the only three players who can challenge Jannik Sinner
Zverev spoke in his post-match press conference after losing in the Wimbledon final, where he was asked if he thinks he can still challenge Sinner, as well as Carlos Alcaraz when he returns from his wrist injury.
“I hope so,” responded Sinner. “That’s what I’m here to do. Again, I think this year, as I said, has been a progress. I think I’ve been pushing those guys. I haven’t beaten them this year, but I’ve pushed them to the limits, I would say.
“Alcaraz in Australia, Jannik maybe here. Even though it was four sets, I think it was a very close four sets, which could have gone five as well.
“But yeah, I think that’s the goal. That’s what I’m working on my game for. There was always, like, this conversation who will be the third guy, the search for the third guy. Kind of the last couple years, I’ve always been the third guy, but I was just far away from those two.
“But I’ve always been number three in a way. So if I get closer to them, if I can be in the mix, of course competing and winning the big tournaments with them, alongside them, it would be great.”
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Zverev was then asked if he thinks he has closed the gap on Sinner, as he claimed that he had, before suggesting that only himself, Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic were real challengers to the world number one.
“Look, I think yeah,” said Zverev. “He’s still the best player in the world. I do believe that. I think he is. I do believe there’s only two, maybe three guys – probably three guys with Novak, you have to give Novak that – who can challenge him. All of us have to be working for that goal. I’ll continue working for that goal.
“I think I’ve challenged him today. Not enough, obviously, ’cause I still sit here as the loser, as the loser of the match. I will continue doing that. The big tournaments are still around the corner.”
| Year | Winner | Tournament | Round | Surface | Score |
| 2026 | Jannik Sinner | Wimbledon | Final | Outdoor Grass | 67(7) 76(2) 63 64 |
| 2026 | Jannik Sinner | ATP Masters 1000 Madrid | Final | Outdoor Clay | 61 62 |
| 2026 | Jannik Sinner | ATP Masters 1000 Monte-Carlo | Semifinal | Outdoor Clay | 61 64 |
| 2026 | Jannik Sinner | ATP Masters 1000 Miami | Semifinal | Outdoor Hard | 63 76(4) |
| 2026 | Jannik Sinner | ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells | Semifinal | Outdoor Hard | 62 64 |
| 2025 | Jannik Sinner | Nitto ATP Finals | Round Robin | Indoor Hard | 64 63 |
| 2025 | Jannik Sinner | ATP Masters 1000 Paris | Semifinal | Indoor Hard | 60 61 |
| 2025 | Jannik Sinner | Vienna | Final | Indoor Hard | 36 63 75 |
| 2025 | Jannik Sinner | Australian Open | Final | Outdoor Hard | 63 76(4) 63 |
| 2024 | Jannik Sinner | ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati | Semifinal | Outdoor Hard | 76(9) 57 76(4) |
| 2023 | Alexander Zverev | US Open | Round of 16 | Outdoor Hard | 64 36 62 46 63 |
| 2022 | Alexander Zverev | ATP Masters 1000 Monte-Carlo | Quarterfinal | Outdoor Clay | 57 63 76(5) |
| 2021 | Alexander Zverev | US Open | Round of 16 | Outdoor Hard | 64 64 76(7) |
| 2020 | Alexander Zverev | Cologne 2 | Semifinal | Indoor Hard | 76(3) 63 |
| 2020 | Jannik Sinner | Roland Garros | Round of 16 | Outdoor Clay | 63 63 46 63 |
Alexander Zverev rates his game right after losing in the Wimbledon final
Zverev has been vocal about his desire to play a more aggressive style of tennis in 2026, having previously been accused of being too passive in big moments.
This change has been rewarded in terms of results, with Zverev claiming his first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros last month and he was clearly causing Sinner more issues in the Wimbledon final than he had in their other recent meetings.
When asked about how he views his game right now, Zverev was happy with the direction he is heading in, but claimed that he still has some strides to make.
“I’ve said it at the beginning of the year, and I’ve stuck to it,” said Zverev. “That’s the tennis I want to play. That’s the game style I want to play. There were matches in the beginning of the year where I was struggling a bit more with this style, but I was consistently doing it.
“The more I do it, the better I’ll become hopefully. Again, I won a Grand Slam for the first time in my career in Paris. I made it to the finals here for the first time in my career. Of course, something has to be working. Is it perfect yet? No. But I think we’re going towards the right direction with it.”
How many more Grand Slams does Alexander Zverev win now?
What a final!
Zverev will return to his previous best ranking of world number two after his best ever run at Wimbledon, overtaking Alcaraz in that spot.
He has also qualified for the ATP Finals once again, with Zverev now looking ahead to the US Open hard court swing.
