Jannik Sinner is Wimbledon champion for the second year running. The world No. 1 beat Alexander Zverev 6-7(7), 7-6(2), 6-3, 6-4 in Sunday's final, a 3-hour, 46-minute contest on Centre Court that made the Italian only the tenth man of the Open Era to successfully defend a Wimbledon title.
It is Sinner's fifth Grand Slam crown, and it came against an opponent enjoying the season of his life. Zverev arrived in London as the newly crowned Roland Garros champion — the first German man to win a major since Boris Becker in Melbourne in 1996 — and became the first German finalist at Wimbledon since Becker in 1995. None of it was enough. Sinner has now beaten him ten times in a row.
Two tiebreaks that decided everything
Zverev drew first blood, edging a tense opening tiebreak nine points to seven. Sinner's response was emphatic. He dominated the second-set breaker 7-2, and from there the champion gradually squeezed the life out of the final, closing out the third and fourth sets 6-3, 6-4.
Zverev later revealed that a knee problem had troubled him, saying he had some difficulty pushing off on his serve. It did not stop him producing the moment of the ceremony, drawing laughter from the crowd by telling Sinner, with a smile, that he does not like him any more. His words moved the champion's box to tears.
"It was tough after Paris"
Sinner collected £3.6 million from a record £64.2 million prize pot — up ten per cent on 2025 — while Zverev took home £1.8 million as runner-up. The champion was in reflective mood afterwards. "There's no better place honestly to play tennis... you never know how many times you can come back on Sunday," he said.
He also hinted at the scars of a difficult spring in Paris, where the French Open title went to Zverev. "This one means a lot, because it was tough after Paris," Sinner said.
His route through the second week was ominous in its efficiency. He dismantled Jan-Lennard Struff, the surprise quarterfinalist, 7-5, 7-6, 6-3, then ended Novak Djokovic's remarkable run with a clinical 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 semifinal win over the 39-year-old, who had earlier overtaken Roger Federer's record for Wimbledon match wins.
The gap at the top
Monday's rankings laid out the scale of Sinner's dominance: 13,450 points to Zverev's 8,480, with the German's fortnight lifting him past the absent Carlos Alcaraz into second place. Zverev, for his part, framed the defeat as part of a longer pursuit, insisting his team is on the right track.
The next battleground is already defined. In the Race to Turin, Sinner leads Zverev by 1,410 points — and both men have already secured their places at the ATP Finals before the North American hard-court swing has even begun.
Tennis Post Redaktion
The Tennis Post editorial team covers professional tennis worldwide — ATP, WTA, Grand Slams and beyond.
