How Sinner defended his Wimbledon throne: An early scare and a 100th Grand Slam win

[p][a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/3afZr8fSkeu2HwyX7XtbAh?si=KJhQrcspQCSOAnmoE_CVwg" target="_blank"][b]Click here to listen to this article on Spotify[/b][/a][/p][p]When he triumphed last year at the All England Club in the final against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/alcaraz-garfia-carlos/UkhgIFEq/"]Carlos Alcaraz[/a], it was payback for a bitter loss at Roland Garros. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sinner-jannik/6HdC3z4H/"]Sinner[/a] turned his huge motivation into what was then his biggest victory. This year, his path was noticeably easier, as his main rival had to withdraw from the tournament due to a wrist injury. [/p][p]But doubts still arose. When Sinner left the courts of Roland Garros less than two months ago, there was a sense of uncertainty. The loss to Juan Manuel Cerundolo from a score of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/cerundolo-j-m-A93TM7BR/sinner-j-6HdC3z4H/?mid=UcWRM6Wi"]6-3, 6-2, 5-1[/a] was unprecedented. [/p][embed guid="952bb6d2-812c-493b-9fcd-fd71c62b7998" url="https://x.com/TheTennisLetter/status/2076381354158440582?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]It was clear that health issues were behind the Paris fiasco. But how serious were they? Things clearly got out of hand. After Paris, Sinner went completely silent and entered the London Grand Slam without a single competitive match on grass.[/p][p]His only test was an [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/norrie-c-pvzhJGY8/sinner-j-6HdC3z4H/?mid=SS2vD0no"]exhibition[/a] in Hurlingham against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/norrie-cameron/pvzhJGY8/"]Cameron Norrie[/a], after which he finally spoke. [b]"We did some tests. We tried to understand what happened. And we came to a good conclusion,"[/b] he explained, somewhat vaguely.[/p][h2]Key moments[/h2][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/kecmanovic-m-MTQ5CPOR/sinner-j-6HdC3z4H/?mid=jJmsWr9E"]Sinner vs Kecmanovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-3[/a][/b][/p][p]Right from the first match, it was a tough test. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kecmanovic-miomir/MTQ5CPOR/"]Miomir Kecmanovic[/a] played bravely, took two sets from the favourite, and Sinner had to deal with a fall and a bleeding leg.[/p][p]But then he managed to switch into winning mode and turned the match around from 1-2 to 3-2 in sets. [b]"It was an amazing experience. We played on a court where no one had stood for a year. It was new for me, a bit nerve-wracking. But I think I handled it pretty well,"[/b] he said after the match.[/p][p]And the bloody gash? [b]"I'm fine. It looks much worse than it actually is,"[/b] he reassured everyone. On the contrary, his sponsor used the bloody photo in one of their striking ads. In the end, this match went down in the history books as only the second time at Wimbledon that the eventual champion lost two sets in the first round.[/p][embed guid="f79790f7-352f-4e15-96de-f8babd1a1940" url="https://x.com/OptaAce/status/2076380394392367434?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/djokovic-n-AZg49Et9/sinner-j-6HdC3z4H/?mid=nkXJ8mYa"]Sinner vs Djokovic 6-4, 6-4, 6-4[/a][/b][/p][p]This was supposed to be a battle of champions. Many fans hoped the Serbian veteran would take another step toward his dream 25th Grand Slam. But Sinner was absolutely ruthless in the semi-finals and the result was similar to last year.[/p][p]Throughout the match, Novak had just one break point. And when that moment of hope came, Sinner erased it with an uncompromising ace. [b]"It was an old-school beating, classic style," [/b]admitted [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/djokovic-novak/AZg49Et9/"]Djokovic[/a] sportingly. One of the most anticipated matches was settled very simply.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/sinner-j-6HdC3z4H/zverev-a-dGbUhw9m/?mid=n5DWLXD5"]Sinner vs Zverev 6-7(7), 7-6(2), 6-3, 6-4[/a][/b][/p][p]The last step is always the hardest. And [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/zverev-alexander/dGbUhw9m/"]Zverev[/a] certainly didn’t make things easy for Sinner at the start of the match. The German fully deserved to take the first set. The Italian then had to step up, and the key moment came at the start of the second set tie-break.[/p][p]Sinner took a 4-0 lead after Zverev’s errors and kept both the lead and the momentum for the rest of the match. The third and fourth sets were basically a formality, as Zverev couldn’t find an answer to Sinner’s precise game.[/p][embed guid="f00fc8f9-36d7-4a56-8714-5a2870c14e06" url="https://x.com/Wimbledon/status/2076381561134465403?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][h2]Key numbers[/h2][p][b]5[/b][/p][p]The Wimbledon triumph is the fifth Grand Slam title for the Italian star. He first celebrated in 2024 at the Australian Open, where he managed to defend the trophy a year later. He also won the US Open in 2024 and lifted the trophy at the London grass-court event in 2025 and 2026. The only title missing from his collection is Roland Garros.[/p][p][b]4[/b][/p][p]Sinner became only the fourth world number one to defend the Wimbledon title since the ATP rankings were introduced in 1973. Before him, only [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sampras-pete/fmZoJZMB/"]Pete Sampras[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/federer-roger/GrsQDFC0/"]Roger Federer[/a], and Djokovic had achieved this feat.[/p][p][b]100[/b][/p][p]It was in the final that Jannik Sinner reached his 100th Grand Slam match win. He became the seventh youngest player in the Open Era to reach this milestone. Only [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/borg-bjorn/EcVHJwIF/"]Bjorn Borg[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/becker-boris/SIpngDCG/"]Boris Becker[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/wilander-mats/KQlqiWhO/"]Mats Wilander[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/nadal-rafael/xUwlUnRK/"]Rafael Nadal[/a], Djokovic, and Sampras did it faster. That’s very elite company.[/p][embed guid="b71b2d6a-1d69-43bc-a090-b03b75cd2515" url="https://x.com/OptaAce/status/2076380413413507383?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]It took Jannik Sinner several years to get used to grass, but in recent seasons it may have become his favourite surface. He has significantly improved his serve and masterfully mixes his very convincing linear game with ever-better volleys and drop shots. And last but not least, his exceptional defence deserves mention.[/p][p]For months, many opponents compared his appearance and relentless style to a robot or a machine. Paris at least briefly showed Sinner’s vulnerability.[/p][p]But at Wimbledon, the Italian once again delivered a convincing performance, even though he himself rejects any talk of routine.[b] "Playing a Grand Slam final is always so rare and special. And I never take anything for granted."[/b][/p][embed guid="bf3e4125-7558-4e8b-b658-fd9a62efb7f0" url="https://x.com/Wimbledon/status/2076384609894289802?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Even so, it’s clear he won’t be giving up the world number one spot anytime soon. He leads Zverev by 4,970 points, and even though he’ll be defending 5,500 points for the rest of the season, he has his position as the world’s best player firmly under control.[/p][infobox id="e4d8200d-597f-48d7-83c2-d394f1217426" /]