Italy’s Jannik Sinner defeated Germany’s Alexander Zverev 6-7 (7-9) 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 6-4 to win his fifth Grand Slam.
Published July 12, 2026
Jannik Sinner was at his clinical best as he successfully defended his Wimbledon title with a four-set victory over French Open champion Alexander Zverev in the final.
The world No. 1 bounced back from losing the first set in a match dominated by serve and ultimately wore down Zverev to win 6-7 (7/9), 7-6 (7/2), 6-3, 6-4 on Sunday.
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The Italian’s persistence in the contest was rewarded as he won his first Grand Slam title since lifting the trophy at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club 12 months ago.
Sinner achieved 100 wins in tennis’s Grand Slam tournaments, his fifth Grand Slam title, just two behind injured rival Carlos Alcaraz’s major championship record.
He hit 58 winners against just 25 unforced errors in 3 hours and 46 minutes on Center Court, not taking on the in-form Zverev, who brought his 13th consecutive major victory to the final.
Sinner erased the memories of last month’s shocking second-round loss at the French Open, where he lost a two-set lead at the hands of Juan Manuel Cerundro.
The closest Sinner came to being eliminated from Wimbledon was in the first round, when he had to come from behind to defeat Miomir Kecmanovic in five sets.
Since then, it’s been smooth sailing for Sinner, who has become a formidable force on turf.
The 24-year-old won his sixth title of the season and boasts an impressive record of 44 wins and 3 losses this year.
Zverev had never even reached the quarter-finals in his previous nine visits to Wimbledon, but was a reborn man in London after finally breaking his Grand Slam duck in Paris.
He managed to take the first set from Sinner in seven matches, but was unable to end a 10-game losing streak against his seemingly unbreakable rival.
Zverev is aiming to become the first German man to win the trophy since Michael Stich in 1991 and will overtake Alcaraz to second place in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) rankings on Monday.
Serving dominated the first set, which went into a tiebreak, but Zverev saved his only break point.
The breakers’ first 15 points came on serve, with both players saving set points before Zverev clinched the victory with a stunning forehand winner.
There were no break points in the second set, and the players again attacked effectively to make it 6-6, but this time Sinner stepped up in the tiebreak to tie the match.
Zverev finally made his first break point in the seventh game of the third set, but slipped when Sinner sank a dropshot winner.
As the crowd held their breath, Sinner cradled his knees and crossed the net to check on his injured opponent, but the German was helped to his feet by an Italian player.
When Zverev’s serve finally broke, Sinner took action in the next game.
Zverev angrily threw his racket onto the grass after Sinner looped a long forehand at break point with Sinner lying on the grass early in the rally.
The top seed served Ai perfectly and sealed a 2-set lead with an ace.
Zverev tried valiantly to prolong the match, but it ended when Sinner broke in the fourth set to take a 4-3 advantage.
Despite a dramatic final game that featured perhaps two of the best rallies of the match, he served out to close out the title despite collapsing to the grass in celebration after smashing a forehand winner on his first match point.
