Jannik Sinner showed a remarkable display of resilience on Sunday. The Italian won the Wimbledon final in four sets against Carlos Alcaraz, just over a month after suffering a very painful defeat to his great rival at Roland Garros.
During the award ceremony on Wimbledon’s center court, it didn’t take long before Sinner was asked about the final at Roland Garros. The world number one had three match points in a row against Alcaraz in Paris but still lost.
“The period afterward was especially emotionally difficult. It was a tough defeat,” Sinner said 35 days later in London. “But in the end, it didn’t matter how I lost. It was about accepting the defeat, understanding what I had done wrong, and working on it. I did that, and that’s why I’m now holding this trophy in my hands.”
The 23-year-old Sinner was stronger than Alcaraz in his first Wimbledon final. He won 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, and 6-4 and is the first Italian winner of the British Grand Slam tournament.
“This is so incredibly special,” Sinner says. “I was talking about it before the final. As a child, I couldn’t even dream of winning Wimbledon. And now I have that title. That means a lot to me. I’m living my dream.”
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Watch Sinner’s winning point in the Wimbledon final
Champagne cork interrupts final
Sinner had to briefly interrupt a service game in the second set for a remarkable reason. A champagne cork landed on the grass from the audience just before the Italian was about to serve. He gave the cork to a ball girl, who put the object off the court.
“That only happens here at Wimbledon,” Sinner says with a big smile. “It’s a very expensive tournament. But that’s exactly why we love playing tennis here so much.”
