Jannik Sinner roars back to beat Carlos Alcaraz for first Wimbledon final win

For most tennis players in the distinguished history of this sport, a defeat as excruciating as Jannik Sinner’s loss to Carlos Alcaraz in the French Open final would have taken years to recover from. In Sinner’s case, it simply made him stronger.

One month on from the toughest loss of his life, Sinner entered the Spaniard’s territory and turned the tables at the earliest possible opportunity, demonstrating his resilience in full flight as he recovered from a set down to win his first Wimbledon title with a spectacular performance, toppling the two-time defending champion 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 6-4.

With his fourth career grand slam title, Sinner is the first Italian player to win a Wimbledon title and he breaks his overall tie with an assortment of famous names, including Arthur Ashe, Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka. Perhaps most important, he ends his great rival’s run of five consecutive wins against him, adding a new dimension to a rivalry that seems set to decide the majority of major titles in the near future. In their own personal grand slam race, which still feels like it has only just begun, Sinner’s victory ensures that Alcaraz, who owns five major titles, remains within touching distance. This is also Sinner’s first slam title away from hard courts, after two victories at the Australian Open and last year’s US Open title.

Carlos Alcaraz took the first set but could not repeat his heroics of the French Open final. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

A month ago, a shell-shocked Sinner stared blankly into space from his seat on Court Philippe-Chatrier while Alcaraz celebrated his triumph in their French Open final with his family in the stands. He held three championship points, the match on his racket, before losing one of the greatest finals in history. Sinner entered Centre Court on Sunday afternoon having lost his last five matches against Alcaraz. It is a reflection of the Italian’s tenacity, resilience and mental strength that he has found his path again so quickly.

This final also showcased Sinner’s toughness in full. Despite how he frustratingly ended the first set, conceding four games in a row, he just kept on moving forward. Sinner saved his best for the decisive moments, serving brilliantly under pressure in the essential third set and, unlike in Paris when his arm stiffened under pressure, Sinner maintained his relentless aggression until the end, smothering the Spaniard with his constant pressure. Deep in the fourth set, as he faltered, this time Sinner held on.

It had not started well for Sinner. After establishing a 4-2 lead by pinning Alcaraz behind the baseline with his destructive aggression off both wings, the Italian watched his lead evaporate as Alcaraz reeled off four consecutive games to take the set, closing it off with a sickening angled backhand slice winner at the very end of his range.

Minutes after demonstrating the stratospheric heights his game can reach, however, Alcaraz showed how quickly his level can drop. An unfocused start to the second set immediately left him trailing 0-40 and he eventually lost his serve. While his opponent’s level wavered, Sinner regained his rhythm on serve, which had faltered at the end of the first set, then he calmly continued to put Alcaraz under pressure on every point with his relentless aggression off both wings while displaying an unusual amount of emotion throughout. Just as the Spaniard ended the opening set with an exclamation mark, the Italian closed off the second at 6-4 with two outlandish running forehand winners, showing his own combination of devastating ball-striking and athleticism in full flow.

Jannik Sinner hugs Carlos Alcaraz after the former’s 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

At one set all, with everything to play for, both players held on to their serves until deep into the set, fearlessly attacking behind their deliveries. The set would be decided by their serving under pressure. While Sinner saved some of his best serving for key moments, following up a searing 117mph second serve ace at 3-4, 30-30 with another service winner to hold, Alcaraz faltered. The Spaniard paid for his missed first serve at the end of the subsequent game as Sinner fearlessly connected with two brilliant second-serve returns, snatching the decisive break of the set.

The last time Sinner led two sets to one, all hell broke loose. As was the case in Paris, Sinner maintained his momentum early in the set as he established an early break lead. At 4-3 on Sinner’s serve, however, the Italian finally felt the pressure of the moment as a series of unforced errors sent him down two break points on his serve. This time, he refused to let Alcaraz back in, digging himself out of a difficult hole and into the history books with the brand of bold, destructive shotmaking that marked him as the best player in the world.