By Michael Davey
Jannik Sinner ended Carlos Alcaraz’s bid for a third-consecutive title at the Wimbledon Championships with a 4-6 6-4 6-4 6-4 victory on Centre Court, handing the Spaniard the first Grand Slam final defeat of his career in the process.
The win moreover comes just a month after Alcaraz pulled off a remarkable comeback to defeat Sinner in the final of the French Open.
Sinner hails ‘special’ win
Top-seed Sinner became the first Italian to win the Gentlemen’s Singles at Wimbledon and secured his sixth Grand Slam.
In a courtside interview, Sinner highlighted the special nature of the triumph, saying: “It’s so special for me. Seeing my parents, brother, my whole team here – it’s amazing.
“Emotionally, I had a very tough loss in Paris [at the French Open], but at the end of the day it doesn’t matter how you win or lose. You have to understand what you did wrong, accept the loss, and keep working.
“I’m so grateful I’m healthy and have great people around me. Any moment can change the match, so I’m so happy I held my nerve.
“Me and my team said before the match we never thought I would be here when I was young. It was a dream of the dream because it was so far away. I’m living my dream.”
In the wake of that brutal, five-set loss to Alcaraz at Roland Garros, Sinner expressed pride at keeping his composure in the Wimbledon showpiece.
“I think this is the part I’m the proudest of because it really has not been easy,” he admitted.
“I always tried to be honest with me and had the self-talk too – what if? I always tried to accept it. Things can happen.
“I believe if you lose a Grand Slam final that way, it’s much better like this than someone kills you. Then after you keep going, keep pushing.
“I did a lot of intensity in every practice because I felt like I could play very good. That’s why I also said after Roland Garros that it’s not the time to put me down, because another Grand Slam is coming up, and I did great here.”
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Alcaraz ‘proud’ in defeat
Speaking to the press after the final – his first loss at Wimbledon in 20 matches – Alcaraz chose to focus on the positives of a successful grass season and another good run at SW19.
“It’s always a bad feeling losing matches. It’s a little bit worse when you lose in a final,” he said.
“I’m just proud about everything I’ve done in the last four weeks on grass in London. I leave Wimbledon, the court, with my head held really high because I did everything I could.
“I played against someone who played an unbelievable game. So I’m just a little bit sad about losing, but with my head held really high.”
On his burgeoning rivalry with Sinner, Alcaraz was similarly optimistic, saying: “Every time we play each other, I think our level is really high.
“We don’t see a level like this. I don’t see any player playing against each other having the level we’re playing when we face each other.
“This rivalry – it’s becoming better and better. We’re playing in the finals of Grand Slams, finals of Masters, and the best tournaments in the world. It’s going to get better.
“I’m just really grateful for that because it gives me the opportunity to just give my 100% every practice, every day, just to be better. The level that I have to maintain and I have to raise if I want to beat Jannik is really high.”
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