Tennis

Sinner comes from behind to beat Zverev and reclaim the Wimbledon title

On Centre Court, after nearly four hours of battle between the world number one and the German, the match ended 3 sets to 1 (6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 6-4)

by Marco Bellinazzo

12 July 2026

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eannik Sinner festeggia dopo aver vinto la finale contro il tedesco Alexander Zverev REUTERS/Toby Melville REUTERS

5' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

5' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

At the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Jannik Sinner beat Alexander Zverev to lift the Wimbledon trophy for the second year running. Sinner fell behind after losing the first set in a tie-break, but then fought back to win the following sets 7-6, 6-3, 6-4, in a thrilling display of winners and defensive play, following a battle that lasted almost four hours.

The men’s final at Wimbledon 2026 was a fiercely contested match for over two sets, and it could hardly have been otherwise given that it pitted the top two seeds against each other: world number one and defending champion Jannik Sinner and the recent Roland Garros winner Alexander Zverev. It was a highly anticipated clash, made all the more intriguing by the Italian’s long winning streak in recent head-to-head encounters – with nine consecutive victories over the German – though he had never beaten him on the grass at Wimbledon.

Sinner had reached the final after a dominant semi-final against Novak Djokovic, whom he beat in three sets with a score of 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Zverev, meanwhile, had reached his first Wimbledon final by defeating the British dark horse Arthur Fery in three sets.

First set: decided in a tie-break

The start of the match was extremely evenly matched, with both players looking very solid on their serves and conceding few opportunities on return. The first set on Centre Court thus remained largely even right up to the tie-break. Zverev displayed a particularly high standard with his forehand, a shot that had often been a weak point for him against Sinner in the past.

At the decisive moment, the German managed to be more incisive, winning the tie-break 9–7 and taking the opening set 7–6 in one hour and five minutes. The German played an aggressive game, often taking the initiative in rallies and trying to put the Italian under time pressure, thanks in part to his remarkably effective serve.

Sinner, on the other hand, initially seemed to adopt a more wait-and-see approach, although he did not fall behind in the score; in fact, he failed to capitalise on the only break point of the first set at 4–3.

Second set: a real toss-up

In the second set, the match remained wide open. Sinner tried to increase the pace of his forehand and step up the pressure on his return, whilst Zverev continued to serve with great effectiveness, confirming the excellent form he had shown throughout the tournament.

In the second set, too, neither player was able to break their opponent’s serve; there were no break points, and the match was dominated by the powerful serves of both players. The German, who has been living with type 1 diabetes for some time, paused twice to check his insulin levels, before continuing the match without any physical setbacks.

And so, game after game, they found themselves level at 6–6, despite Sinner making more errors than usual.

Another crucial tie-break. It begins with a mini-break for Sinner, who consolidates his lead by going 3–0 up. A fine return takes the Italia to 4–0, but a stunning lob goes out by a hair’s breadth, giving Zverev his first point. He then closes the gap to 4–2 after Sinner hits a backhand into the net. They switch ends. A winning first serve from Sinner and a rush to the net give him four set points at 6–2. Zverev looks to be in trouble for the first time and sends his backhand down the line. 7–2 and the set is level after two hours and nine minutes.

Third set: Jannik takes the lead

Sinner, whose first-serve percentage rose from 55 per cent to 85 per cent between the first and second sets, serves first and closes out the opening game with a drop shot.

Zverev’s effectiveness and confidence begin to wane, but Sinner fails to capitalise. In two and a half hours of play, there is just one break point in a match where the serve dominates and the rallies are not particularly spectacular.

The world number one quickly took a 3–2 lead, before the score was levelled at 3–3, with Zverev racking up a total of 12 aces, as well as countless winning serves.

A double fault from Sinner in the seventh game, followed by a forehand error, gave Zverev a two-point lead, which was cancelled out by three fine serves from Italia. A superb forehand from the German took the game to deuce. Zverev earns a break point – his first of the match and the second overall after 2 hours and 42 minutes. Sinner plays a drop shot that catches Zverev off guard; he slips on the sparse grass at the back of the court, hitting his knee. Sinner crosses the court to help his opponent back to his feet. A winning run to the net allows Sinner to turn the situation around and take the lead at 4–3.

In the next game, Zverev gifted Sinner his second break point of the match; Sinner found the strength to return the ball even after slipping, forcing the German into an error. After 2 hours and 54 minutes, the first break of the match was secured. The German lost his temper and threw his racket away.

The Italian tennis player stepped up to serve with determination and won the set 6–3 after nearly three hours.

Fourth set: Sinner triumphs

Zverer isn’t giving up. He wins the first game and takes Sinner to deuce on his serve. He saves the point with two effective serves that force the German into an error.

The match continues neck and neck, with the players relying mainly on their serves, which exceed 200 kilometres per hour: 1–1, 2–2, 3–3.

In the seventh game, Sinner produced some incredible defence and closed out the point with a volley at the net of rare beauty, before earning two break points. Zverev saved the first with an ace and the second with a brave serve-and-volley. He missed an easy forehand and conceded the third, which proved fatal. Sinner returned the serve and then hit an unreturnable forehand to make it 4–3.

On his service game, the world number one in the ATP rankings wins the game to love and takes a 5–3 lead.

Zverev stays in the match with his serve (4–5), but Sinner goes to serve for the match in the next game. He falls behind 15–30, levels the score at 30–30 and takes a 40–30 lead with a magnificent counter-drop shot, following a superb defensive rally. The championship point comes with a winning forehand down Zverev’s left.

Sinner has secured his 100th Grand Slam victory. And there could be no more prestigious victory than defending his Wimbledon title.