Wimbledon: Sinner flourishes again in his new garden

Any lingering doubts were quickly swept away. Just a few weeks after his shock second-round exit at Roland-Garros, Jannik Sinner resumed his relentless march at SW19. Pushed only in his opening match, he produced a masterclass against the seven-time champion in the semi-finals before proving too strong for the Roland-Garros title-holder in the final. A fifth Grand Slam crown, and one that leaves no room for debate.

Imperious on serve, ruthless on return

It really was nothing more than a blip, with no lasting physical or psychological impact. Stunned on court Philippe-Chatrier on 28 May, the Italian immediately got back on track, a resurgence crowned on 12 July with a second Wimbledon title inside the temple of tennis.

“I think every Grand Slam is different: different story, different environment, different feelings before the tournament.” he explained. “For me this one means a lot because it was a tough one after Paris again. Last year was also tough. But coming here, I tried to put myself in the best possible position to be as competitive as possible. We put in a lot of workdays in Monaco, very, very long. Definitely sacrificing a lot of my time and everything to be in this position. Having this achievement, it means a lot to me. It was an amazing day today.”

Of course, not everything was perfect over the fortnight. But the eventual champion showed admirable resilience in his opening-round battle, coming through in five sets against Miomir Kecmanovic, before stringing together a series of solid, if unspectacular, victories. Match after match, he raised his level before fully rediscovering the form that has made him the best player in the world.

Untouchable, supremely confident and remarkably patient in his semifinal against Novak Djokovic – where he lost just 17 points behind his serve – Sinner produced a similarly commanding display against Alexander Zverev in the final. Across the tournament, he won 84 per cent of points behind his first serve, fired 128 aces and saved 73 per cent of the break points he faced. Unsurprisingly, those numbers climbed even higher in his last two matches.

Yet standing across the net in his first Wimbledon final was an opponent who had impressed throughout the fortnight with his consistency and resilience, particularly during the opening two sets. But just as he had done 48 hours earlier, Sinner offered virtually nothing on serve, facing only a single break point throughout the match.

“It's just staying in the moment, to be honest,” he told reporters when asked about the secret behind such consistency. “If you lose serve once, the set is over, most likely, especially playing against Sascha. Against the best players in the world, you need to be very careful on your own service games. I have improved throughout the whole tournament. If you see the performance from the first two, three matches, then how I ended the tournament, it has been always growing. That's exactly what I needed. I was looking for this improvement, a player improvement, from my side. We made it happen. Of course, mentally you need to make the switch, as well, to be able to do so. But I'm very happy how I handled the situation, especially this year. Now it's time to enjoy.”

Admiration from across the net

Efficient, clinical and ultimately dazzling over the course of the fortnight, Sinner once again showed that he can win regardless of the conditions, the opponent or how he feels on court. By claiming his 100th Grand Slam match victory last Sunday, he also became just the 10th player in the Open Era to successfully defend the Wimbledon title.

More impressively still, since March, the 2025 Rolex Paris Masters champion has compiled a staggering 36 wins – including 31 without dropping a set – against just one defeat. That near-total domination has earned the admiration of his peers, particularly his latest victim, despite the outstanding form he has displayed in recent weeks.

“Jannik is still the best player in the world, I do believe that,” explained the 2024 Rolex Paris Masters champion. “I believe there are probably three guys who can challenge him. All of us have to be working for that goal. I'll continue working for that goal. I think I've challenged him today. Not enough, because I still sit having lost the match. I will continue doing that. The big tournaments are still around the corner.”

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