Defending champion Jannik Sinner came into the Wimbledon final against Alexander Zverev as a heavy favorite–and for good reason. The World #1 entered the match on a nine-match winning streak against the German. He had won 14 consecutive sets, and only one of those went to a tiebreak. In essence, he dominates this matchup. Sinner seems to have no trouble with the huge Zverev serve, and Zverev can’t even earn break points against him.
Thankfully for tennis fans, though, this Wimbledon final did not follow the classic script of their matchup. At all.
Jannik Sinner def. Alexander Zverev 67() 76(2) 63 64
The match itself had few moments of true intrigue, but at least it was a battle. Sinner found a break point chance early in the match, which he could not convert. After that, it was all about the serves. The entire first two sets passed without a single break point opporunity. Sure, there were plenty of high-quality rallies in the middle, but for the most part it was all about the serves.
Zverev took the first set in a tiebreak with a massive forehand on a Sinner service point. In the second set tiebreak, Sinner began with a minibreak on the opening point and dominated from there.
The third set, though, had actual intrigue. Zverev earned a break point chance with Sinner serving at 3-3, but he slipped on the point. He lay on the ground, grabbing his knee for a moment (it did appear to very briefly hyperextend on slow-motion replay), but the German got up after less than a minute and didn’t appear to suffer any immediate adverse effects. He did, however, throw away his next service game from a 40-15 lead, giving Sinner the break. A quick hold later and the defending champion was one set away from the title.
To his credit, Zverev didn’t go away. He came back with big serves and got back to his rhythm early in the fourth set. Sinner played a great game to open up two break point chances at 3-3. Zverev saved both, but lost the next two points for the decisive break. Two holds later, it was all over.
What’s Next?
Overall, this tournament has to be a positive for Zverev. The German had never done much before in his Wimbledon career, and went all the way to the final. He still has a bit to work on to be truly elite, but he will obviously be a contender at Majors for the foreseeable future.
For Sinner, this is a reminder of his dominance. He was untouchable at big events since the end of last season, but suffered stunning defeats at the Australian Open and French Open this year. But there was nothing mental holding him back, and nothing physical here either. He is the best man in the world, owner of two Wimbledon trophies and five Majors overall, and will return to being an overwhelming favorite at every event he enters for at least the rest of this year–and probably long after that.
Main Photo Credit: Peter van den Berg-USA TODAY Sports
