Sinner holds off Zverev to defend Wimbledon title

Jannik Sinner once again proved why he is the world's best tennis player by holding off Alexander Zverev to win back-to-back Wimbledon men's singles titles on Sunday.

Italy's Sinner gradually took control of an extremely tight contest at the All England Club, winning 6-7 (7-9), 7-6 (7-2), 6-3, 6-4. German second seed Zverev, who won his maiden Grand Slam at the French Open last month, played confidently and boldly but could not overcome Sinner in an intense, high-quality match.

"Jannik, I don't really like you any more," joked Zverev, who will rise to world No. 2 on Monday, passing the injured Carlos Alcaraz. "He showed once again why he is the best player in the world."

Sinner secured victory in 3 hours 46 minutes, the second-longest win of his career. He becomes the 10th man to retain the Wimbledon trophy since the Open Era began in 1968. It is his fifth Grand Slam title and his first of 2026.

Along with generational rival Alcaraz, Sinner has dominated the men's game in recent seasons. However, he lost to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open semi-finals and, after arriving at the French Open on a 29-match winning streak, suffered an early second-round exit. Following that shock loss, Sinner took a break from competition, skipping all tournaments before Wimbledon.

Sinner showed vulnerability early in the tournament, needing five sets to beat Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic, but grew in confidence and quality over the fortnight. He dismantled Djokovic in the semi-finals and needed his best on Sunday to overcome Zverev. Sinner served well, limiting Zverev to just one break point, defended the baseline superbly, and took his chances clinically in the final two sets.