Wimbledon men's final: Jannik Sinner repeats as champion after weathering early challenge from Alexander Zverev

July 12, 2026 - 21:13

Alexander Zverev opened the Wimbledon final by playing some of the best tennis of his career. Jannik Sinner made it not matter.

The top seed from Italy dropped the first set but raised his level when it mattered most, defeating Zverev 3-6, 6-3, 7-6, 6-4 on Sunday to win his second consecutive Wimbledon championship. The victory cements Sinner's status as the dominant force in men's tennis on grass.

Zverev came out firing, breaking Sinner's serve in the fourth game of the match. The German's serve was nearly untouchable in the opening set, and he closed it out in just 32 minutes. For a moment, it looked like the fourth seed might finally capture his first Grand Slam title after years of near misses.

But Sinner, known for his calm demeanor, did not panic. He started reading Zverev's serve better in the second set and broke early to take control. The third set proved decisive, with both players holding serve until the tiebreak. Sinner won it 7-4 after a stunning passing shot that left Zverev flat-footed.

From there, the Italian carried the momentum. He broke Zverev in the opening game of the fourth set and never looked back, closing out the match with an ace on his first championship point.

The win gives Sinner his third major title overall and makes him the first man to successfully defend a Wimbledon title since Novak Djokovic won four in a row from 2018 to 2022. For Zverev, the loss adds to a painful history of coming up just short on the biggest stage.