Jannik Sinner, the world's number one male tennis player, just successfully defended his Wimbledon title, taking down Alexander Zverev in a four-set final. He lost the first set, apparently just to make things interesting, then promptly decided he was done messing around.
The final score: 6-7 (7/9), 7-6 (7/2), 6-3, 6-4. Let that satisfying number sequence sink in. This marks Sinner's fifth Grand Slam overall and his 100th match win at the majors. Because apparently, 99 wasn't quite enough.
The Unstoppable Sinner
Sinner spent three hours and 46 minutes on Centre Court, hitting 58 winners and making a mere 25 unforced errors. He was up against a Zverev who was practically on fire, having won 13 straight matches at the majors leading into this final. Talk about a warm-up.
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Start Your News DetoxThis victory is a nice palate cleanser after Sinner's unexpected French Open exit last month, where he somehow managed to lose after being two sets up. His toughest match at Wimbledon this year? A first-round comeback from behind against Miomir Kecmanovic. Since then, he's been cruising on grass, racking up a 44-3 win-loss record this year and securing his sixth title of the season. The man is busy.
Zverev, who had never even made it past the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in nine previous attempts, was having a moment. He'd just won his first Grand Slam in Paris and was clearly feeling himself in London. He managed to snag one set against Sinner, but alas, that makes it 10 losses in a row against the Italian. Sometimes you just have a nemesis.
He was hoping to be the first German man to hoist the Wimbledon trophy since Michael Stich in 1991. Despite the loss, Zverev will still climb to second in the ATP rankings on Monday, leapfrogging Carlos Alcaraz. So, not all bad news.
The first set was a nail-biter, heading to a tie-break where Zverev, after saving a set point, won with a powerful forehand. The second set? Also a tie-break, with Sinner evening things up. Then came the third set, where Zverev got his first break point opportunity but, in a moment of unfortunate drama, slipped when Sinner hit a drop-shot winner. Sinner, ever the gentleman, crossed the net to check on him.
Moments later, Sinner broke Zverev's serve, prompting a racquet-throwing tantrum from Zverev. Sinner then coolly served out the set with an ace. In the fourth, Sinner broke again, then served for the match, winning with a forehand winner and collapsing to the ground in a well-deserved celebration. Because when you're that good, you've earned a dramatic floor dive.
