Just over a month after letting out the title of Roland Garros, Italian Jannik Sinner had his rematch about Carlos Alcaraz and won the unprecedented title in Wimbledon, his first trophy after returning to doping in May. The ranking leader won 3 sets to 1 (4/6, 6/4, 6/4 and 6/4), in a match that lasted 3 hours and 4 minutes.
At the age of 23, he arrives in his fourth Grand Slam, ”said Australian Open this year and 2024, when he also took the US Open.
The result represents the first title of the best in the world after the decision that removed him from the courts from February to May for having tested positive to closet, a forbidden substance. The first two attempts, at the Masters 1000 of Rome and Roland Garros, were frustrated precisely by Alcaraz.
That’s why this Sunday’s triumph is a kind of revenge, especially in relation to Grand Slam do Imbro, in which the Italian even opened 2 sets at 0 and having three match points, but saw the 22-year-old Spaniard recover and become champion in what was the longest final in the history of the tournament.
His campaign to London’s decision had another rematch in the semifinal, in which he easily defeated Novak Djokovic, current number 6 of the world’s best ranking and a tormentor in the world in 2023 – until the best performance of the new champion in the All England Club courts.
In advance to the first time Wimbledon final, Sinner also joined Djokovic’s group, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray as the only ones to reach four major decisions (as the most important tennis championships are called).
This Sunday, the second meeting among the two best players of today in Wimbledon began balanced, as expected, with similar efficiency in withdrawals. The first break came in the sixth game, when Sinner opened 4-2. Following, however, Alcaraz returned the break to tie the game, confirmed his following services and broke another withdrawal from Italian, closing the first partial 6/4.
Overcome by the Italian for the same score, the second set had a little longer games and was defined by the breaking of Alcaraz service at the beginning of the partial. It was up to Sinner to manage the advantage and confirm the set point, drawing the final and lifting the public from the center court.
The first aces of the ranking leader came only in the third set (7 against 5 from Alcaraz, which marked another 7 in the second partial and 2 in the first). Without giving any break points to the Spanish, Sinner opened 5-4 on the set, in a point that had a Alcaraz slide, and drew to turn the match.
The beginning of the fourth set indicated a faster path until the victory of the Italian, which opened 3-1. The opponent had two chances of breaking not taken advantage of in the eighth game, when Sinner pulled to maintain the advantage and do 5 to 3. Under pressure, Alcaraz confirmed the next service and took the game to 5 to 4, but could not survive the three best match after 3 hours and 4 minutes.
For the feat, Sinner receives a prize of £ 3 million (about $ 22.6 million), while Alcaraz takes £ 52 million ($ 11.4 million). The trajectory in the tournament also had wins about the American Ben Shelton, 10th, in the Wednesdays and about Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, who abandoned the match in the round of 16.
Already the Spaniard dispatched the American Taylor Fritz, 5th in the ranking, in the semifinal, after beating Briton Cameron Norrie, 61, in the quarterfinals and Russian Andrey Rublev, 14th, in the round of 16.
