Jannik Sinner experienced another Alexander Zverev in the 2026 Wimbledon men’s final. He delivered the same result as the previous nine meetings.
Facing an opponent playing some of the best tennis of his illustrious career, Sinner stayed steady and won 6-7 (7), 7-6 (2), 6-3, 6-4 to become Wimbledon champion once again. This is the fifth Grand Slam title in his career.
The absence of Carlos Alcaraz, who the Italian beat in last year’s Wimbledon final, left Sinner with no chance to play. However, he comes after disappointments in the previous two majors, including being upset by Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open semi-finals and limping off at Roland Garros.
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It was a strange performance for a player who doesn’t usually get upset when the weather allows, especially since he made history by winning all five Masters 1000 titles between March and May. It was another shaky start to the tournament, with Sinner having to survive five sets against Miomir Kecmanovic, his feet bleeding through his shoes.
Sinner went on to win every subsequent match in straight sets until Sunday, including a masterclass against Djokovic to avenge his Melbourne defeat. He showed a high level in the final and definitely needed it.
Alexander Zverev challenged Jannik Sinner early on
This marks Sinner’s 10th consecutive victory over Zverev, continuing his impressive winning streak. Zverev has failed to break him in his past seven matches, with 87 consecutive holds in that span. That’s a surprising level of dominance for a player who could easily be ranked No. 3 in the world if everyone was healthy.
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Still, no one can say Zverev didn’t do what he was supposed to do on Sunday, at least initially.
Here’s the basic breakdown of Zverev’s game: At 6 feet 6 inches tall, he is one of the toughest servers in the sport and can rack up easy points. At the same time, he is a top counterpuncher and crushes almost any player when participating in a neutral rally. Usually an effective combination, it has proven ineffective against Sinner and Alcaraz, who are mobile enough and are excellent ball strikers, allowing Zverev to overpower where he is usually comfortable.
Zverev’s forehand is less stable than an elite backhand, which is usually a big drawback against Sinner, who can blow players away from both wings. In the past few matches, Zverev has rarely taken shots aggressively enough to disrupt Sinner’s rhythm.
Sunday was different. The level of service from both players was unusually high, but what stood out in the first two sets was Sinner’s willingness to hit the ball off his forehand, even when it was neutral. This led to unforced errors, with Zverev having 45 to Sinner’s 25, but also earned him points that he usually loses to Italian opponents.
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Zverev also continued to serve, with his first serve exceeding 130 mph and completing 76% of his serves, keeping him on par with Sinner.
There was a total of one break point in the first two sets, and both went to tiebreaks. Zverev won first, but he really looked like a rookie at that point.
But sinners are sinners for a reason. He continued to drive Zverev with serves that have become more deadly each year on tour, jumping him in the second tiebreak to tie the match.
That’s when Sinner started thinking about what to do with Zverev’s serve. He had to use pure reflexes against the first, but against the equally powerful German second he was able to consistently force rallies by moving deeper than the baseline.
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Jannik Sinner took control of the third set after Alexander Zverev’s injury became apparent
It took two and a half sets for Zverev to grab his first break point, but it was a turning point. against him.
At this point, Sinner got an easy ball near the net and turned it into a surprising drop shot. Zverev lunged forward, but slipped and clutched his knee in obvious pain.
Sinner quickly crossed the net and showed great sportsmanship to help his opponent. He then buried Zverev, ending the match and crushing him. Zverev elected to continue playing and didn’t seem to slow down much for the rest of the match, but that big forehand was no longer there.
In similar playing conditions in the fourth set, the match should have been won if Sinner had been able to avoid the notoriously dreaded 3:50 mark at 0-9.
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He finished Zverev in an impressive time of 3 hours and 47 minutes.
For all of Zverev’s changes, the stats showed fairly standard results from Sinner. 58 winners to 25 unforced errors. Earned 70 out of 87 first serve points (80%). Won 32 of 49 second serve points (75%).
There were no changes to that part of Sinner’s game. I just wonder if anyone can do it until Alcaraz comes back.
Check out the latest coverage of the Wimbledon Men’s Singles Final on Yahoo Sports.
“I don’t really like you anymore, Yannik,” Zverev said, echoing Karolina Muchova’s joke after the women’s final.
Sinner closed out the match with a forehand winner, winning the match 6-7(7), 7-6(2), 6-3, 6-4. He won back-to-back Wimbledon champions, winning his fifth Grand Slam title and defeating Alexander Zverev for the 10th time in a row despite an inspired play from the ATP No. 2 player.
There were two sensational points in this match, one for each player. However, Sinner won his second race and earned championship points.
Zverev holds. Now he needs to do what he hasn’t been able to do in the last six games against Sinner to survive.
Sinners have no problem with that suspension. There’s only one game left to finish this.
Sinners are given a break. He is two holds away from winning his second Wimbledon title and his fifth Grand Slam title. Zverev hasn’t broken his serve in 86 consecutive games.
Zverev swings a forehand and gets another break point.
Zverev saved the opening scene with an ace, then capped a fun exchange at the net to bring it to deuce.
Sinner double breakpoint. Zverev is in big trouble.
Sinner probably got the best points of the match before Zverev hit a forehand into the net to make it 0-30. The big moment happens here.
Sinner closes a quick hold with a 131 mph ace. The story of this match has been Zverev’s ups and downs, but we’re approaching another big storyline. Sinner has an 0-9 record in matches longer than 3 hours and 50 minutes, approaching the 3 1/2 hour mark.
Basically, Sinner needs to win this set or win it in a way he hasn’t seen before.
Zverev remained calm even after clearly objecting to an out-of-the-line outcall. Even in the Hawkeye view, I could see that the ball’s shadow was basically touching the line.
Sinner was down 0-30 on serve against Zverev several times in the match, but he responded each time by scoring at least three consecutive points. He did it again, with Zverev complaining about an in-call on his serve.
Zverev found love for the first time early in the second set. he needed it.
Zverev fought back from a 40-0 deficit and was forced into deuce, but Sinner calmly finished the match.
Zverev recovered from the first break, but Sinner still continued to win serve back much more than he had in the first two sets. If the situation in future matches remains the same, this match will not go as Zverev wants.
Sinner closed out the set with his 14th ace of the match, one more than Zverev. After weathering the storm in the first few sets and storming out in the third set after Zverev slipped, he now appears to be in full control.
One set left for consecutive wins.
