Jannik Sinner has successfully defended his Wimbledon title.
The Italian star, 24, defeated Alexander Zverev 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Sunday evening to etch his name onto the Wimbledon trophy for a second consecutive year.
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It was a brave effort from a much-improved Zverev, who served 17 aces and won 72 per cent of his first-serve points during the contest.
However, the German’s efforts ultimately proved to be in vain.
Sinner can now bask in the glory of winning his fifth Grand Slam title, before looking ahead to the North American hard-court swing.
Jannik Sinner predicts Alexander Zverev will win Wimbledon
Last month, Zverev finally lifted the weight of the world off his shoulders by winning his first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros.
The absence of this weight seemed to benefit the German at Wimbledon, as he played with a greater freedom than witnessed prior to his major triumph in Paris.
This did not go unnoticed by Jannik Sinner.
“I would like to start with you and your whole team and family,” Sinner told Zverev during the post-match ceremony. “You reached one of your main goals in winning a Grand Slam and made it happen in Paris.
“Today was so, so close and if you play like this I am very, very sure you are going to have this one at home as well. Amazing. Keep going.
“I know the goal is for you to become number one in the world and you are very close, so I have to be very careful now! Congrats.”
Sinner was somewhat off in his analysis. Zverev still trails Sinner by almost 5,000 points in the ATP rankings.
| Live Rank | Player | Live Points | +/- | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jannik Sinner | 13,450 | – | |||||||
| 2 | Alexander Zverev | 8,480 | +1,290 | |||||||
| 3 | Carlos Alcaraz | 8,160 | -1,300 | |||||||
| 4 | Felix Auger-Aliassime | 4,740 | +350 | |||||||
| 5 | Alex de Minaur | 4,110 | – | |||||||
| 6 | Ben Shelton | 3,770 | -390 | |||||||
| 7 | Novak Djokovic | 3,760 | – | |||||||
| 8 | Daniil Medvedev | 3,670 | +90 | |||||||
| 9 | Flavio Cobolli | 3,460 | – | |||||||
| 10 | Taylor Fritz | 3,365 | -400 | |||||||
“We both started off very well, serving very fast,” Sinner continued. “We prepared in the best possible way me and my team. I have to thank them and the whole support I get from the whole box.
“My Mum, I see her, she left the stadium a couple of times. Being a player it’s not easy! But at the same time it has been an amazing final once again.
“It always takes two players. Me and Sascha try to give everything we have.
“I am very happy about the win but also the level we both played and you [the crowd] are the reasons. There is no better place, honestly, to play tennis than standing here.
“You can feel the nerves on Sunday morning when you wake up that this is a very special day and you never know how many times you can come back on Sunday.
“I never take things for granted playing in front of very special people for the whole couple of weeks.
“Thanks for the support, you are always amazing and you gave me the most special feeling a tennis player can ever feel.”
Alexander Zverev deserves great credit for his performance
Prior to this year, grass has been an unkind surface to Alexander Zverev.
The German had struggled to perform at his best on the surface, failing to advance past the Wimbledon fourth round in nine attempts.
| Statistical Area | Jannik Sinner | Alexander Zverev |
| Aces | 15 | 17 |
| Double Faults | 2 | 2 |
| First-serve % | 64 | 76 |
| First–serve points won [%] | 80 | 72 |
| Second–serve points won [%] | 65 | 59 |
This year, Zverev was much improved on the grass – as demonstrated by his performance in the Wimbledon final.
Although the match was only four sets, in truth, Zverev pushed Sinner to the brink in Sunday’s final.
Zverev served superbly throughout the contest, inhibiting the Italian’s ability to establish a stranglehold on the contest.
The German also struck his forehand with a venom previously absent from his game.
Zverev played with aggression, taking the game to Sinner whenever he could – refusing to let the Italian dictate the tempo of the contest.
Zverev may not have won Sunday’s contest, but he can hold his head high after such an admirable performance.
