‘Everything except easy’ – how Sinner bounced back to win Wimbledon

Three championship points. Jannik Sinner had been here before. Just 35 days earlier, to be exact.

Nerves would have been understandable as he once again stared across at Carlos Alcaraz, with whom his enthralling rivalry entered the stratosphere following their epic French Open final.

But this was a different Sinner to the one who had suffered that devastating loss in Paris.

After winning his first Wimbledon title, the 23-year-old Italian stood with his arms aloft, before crouching to the grass in a moment of deep contemplation.

The 15,000 people present – and those watching from afar – understood his reaction.

“Only me and the people who are close to me know exactly what we have been through on and off the court, and it has been everything except easy,” Sinner said.

“[It is] very emotional, even if I don’t cry.

Sinner said he would only know the true impact of his French Open heartbreak when he walked out for Sunday’s final.

Five weeks ago he lost one of the all-time great Grand Slam showpieces in a way that could have derailed some players’ careers, seeing the title wrenched from his grasp after leading by two sets and holding three championship points.

Sinner gave himself just three days off to process the longest French Open final, seeking out friends and family, playing ping-pong and having barbeques when he returned home, before returning to training.

And then he bounced back emphatically to dethrone Alcaraz as Wimbledon champion, ending a five-match losing streak against his main rival in the process.

“Today was important for many reasons. He needed that win today,” Darren Cahill, one of Sinner’s coaches, said.

“He knew the importance of closing this one out when he had the opportunity.”

Sinner lost in the second round at his only pre-Wimbledon grass-court tournament in Halle.

That defeat by Alexander Bublik was Sinner’s first exit before the quarter-finals of an event in 20 months and remains his only loss to someone other than Alcaraz in the past 11 months.

But something appeared to have clicked on his arrival at Wimbledon. After what Cahill described as an “awesome” practice week, he won nine successive sets for the loss of just 17 games in his first three matches.

But, as he posed with his trophy on Sunday evening, it was easy to forget that Sinner came within four games of a shock exit.

He was two sets down against Grigor Dimitrov in the fourth round and struggling before the Bulgarian suffered a match-ending injury.

Sinner also injured his elbow in a fall during the match, but he withstood the lingering discomfort to dismiss American 10th seed Ben Shelton and seven-time champion Novak Djokovic in straights sets to reach the final.

“I would say mostly emotionally [it took a lot] because I had a very tough loss in Paris,” Sinner said on court, before exchanging a smile with Alcaraz.

“It doesn’t matter how you win or lose, you just have to understand what you did wrong and work on that.

Sinner has also had to overcome challenges off the court.

Such has been the consistency he has shown over the past 12 months, Sinner has kept hold of the world number one ranking despite serving a three-month doping ban earlier this year.

Sinner accepted the ban after the World Anti-Doping Agency found he “did not intend to cheat” but still bore responsibility for the negligence of members of his team after he twice tested positive for banned substance clostebol in March 2024.

That ban was served between the successful defence of his Australian Open title in January and the French Open – now the only trophy separating him from becoming just the ninth man to achieve a career Grand Slam.

Wimbledon women’s champion Iga Swiatek also served a one-month ban after testing positive for heart medication trimetazidine, which the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) accepted was caused by contamination.

Cahill previously described Sinner as being worn down physically and mentally by the investigation.

“His year has been challenging for everybody involved,” Cahill said on Sunday.

“The person that you see on the tennis court – this focus and attention to detail – is not the same guy off the court.

“He’s a fun-loving guy who is joking around all the time and loves the company of the people around him.

“He’s cooking, messing up stuff, making mistakes all over the place, and we’re laughing about it.”