Jannik Sinner is a Wimbledon champion once again. The Italian star held off Alexander Zverev in a hard-fought four-set final on Sunday, winning 6-7(7) 7-6(2) 6-3 6-4 to claim his fifth Grand Slam title and successfully defend last year’s championship at the All England Club in London.
With the victory, Sinner joined an exclusive group as just the 10th man in the professional era to successfully defend the Wimbledon title. The win also strengthens his case as one of the premier players of his generation as he continues to chase rival Carlos Alcaraz, who holds seven major titles.
The match opened with both players trading blows through 12 games in a tense, high-energy first set played on a warm and windy afternoon. Zverev ultimately seized the moment, firing a sharp forehand winner to close out the tiebreak and taking the opener. He dropped to the ground in celebration, pumping his fist in excitement.
The quality of play remained high into the second set, but Zverev’s composure began to crack late in the set. Sinner, visibly fired up, took control of the tiebreak to even the match at one set each.
A dramatic moment unfolded midway through the third set, more than two and a half hours into the match. Zverev had just earned his first break point opportunity when a Sinner drop shot caught him off guard. He slipped trying to recover and crashed to the ground, rolling onto his back and grabbing his right knee in pain. The crowd at Centre Court fell silent in shock.
Zverev shook it off and returned to play, but his frustration boiled over moments later when Sinner broke serve to go up 5-3, prompting Zverev to slam his racket against the court. Sinner closed out the third set to take a two-sets-to-one lead after nearly three hours of play.
In the fourth set, Sinner broke again to take a 4-3 lead as Zverev’s level briefly dropped. The 24-year-old Sinner held on through an entertaining stretch of tennis to seal the championship, then collapsed onto the grass at Centre Court in a moment of pure joy.
