Sinner aims for title retention

By Oliver Harrington — 12 July 2026 — 4 min read

Sinner aims for title retention

Jannik Sinner is set to compete in the Wimbledon men’s final, aiming to retain his title. The world number one seeks to become the tenth man in the Open era to achieve this feat at the All England Club. His opponent will be Alexander Zverev.

Sinner previously secured the trophy last summer by defeating Carlos Alcaraz. He has maintained a strong record against Zverev, winning each of their past nine meetings, with the last six concluded without dropping a set. However, Sinner acknowledges the renewed threat Zverev poses, especially after the German’s recent French Open victory.

Sinner commented on their past encounters, stating, “Whatever happened in the past between me and him, it happened. In between, he won a Grand Slam in Paris, which gave him a lot of confidence.” He added, “He is a tough player to play against. He was before, but now even more. He’s very relaxed on court at the moment.” Sinner anticipates a challenging match, describing it as “very different than all the other matches we have played.”

Sinner’s journey to this year’s final included a dominant performance against Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals, overcoming the player who was expected to be his biggest obstacle in straight sets. He arrived at Wimbledon after an early exit at the French Open, where physical challenges in hot conditions led to a loss against Juan Manuel Cerundolo despite an initial lead.

Since the beginning of the 2024 season, Sinner has reached seven Grand Slam finals. He has been in strong form recently.

Zverev’s Grand Slam breakthrough

Zverev, at 29 years old, recently secured his maiden Grand Slam title at the French Open, where he defeated Flavio Cobolli in the final. This victory marked his 41st appearance at a major tournament, ensuring he avoids the label of being the best men’s player never to win a major title.

Reflecting on his recent success, Zverev stated, “I stay focused. I stay hungry. I want more. I want to continue playing at the best level and continue winning. On Sunday I have another big chance.” He also noted the confidence gained from winning a major, saying, “Once you win a major you know how to do it and you feel like you can do it again. You have this feeling inside of you.”

Zverev’s path to the Wimbledon final included ending British wildcard Arthur Fery’s run in the semi-finals, securing a fourth straight-set win in his last five matches. This triumph at Roland Garros also broke a streak of nine Grand Slam tournaments won by either Sinner or Alcaraz.

Should he win at Wimbledon, he would become only the fourth player in the Open era to claim their first grass-court title at this tournament. Wimbledon has historically been Zverev’s least successful Grand Slam in terms of matches won, and it was the only major where he had not reached the final, having exited in the first round last year.

This performance is expected to elevate Zverev to world number two in the rankings on Monday.

Key statistics and head-to-head

The upcoming final marks the first time Sinner and Zverev will meet at Wimbledon and on grass. Their most recent major final encounter was at last year’s Australian Open, where Sinner emerged victorious. Their overall head-to-head record stands at 10-4 in Sinner’s favour, with Sinner winning nine consecutive matches.

Both players have demonstrated strong serving throughout the tournament. They have each won over 90% of their service games. Sinner has won 85% of points on his first serve and has recorded 113 aces, surpassing Zverev’s 87 aces. Zverev’s serve quality is rated higher at 9.2 compared to Sinner’s 8.7 during the Championships, and he has registered higher average speeds on both his first (133mph) and second (118mph) serves.

However, Sinner is recognized for his returning ability, with Djokovic describing him as the new best returner in the sport. Sinner has outperformed Zverev in all return metrics during the fortnight, achieving an overall return quality of 8.1 compared to Zverev’s 7.3. Sinner’s forehand quality (8.5) and backhand quality (8.2) are also higher than Zverev’s (8.3 and 8.1, respectively). Heading into Sunday’s final, both players boast some of the highest overall performance ratings at this year’s Wimbledon.

Source: bbc.co.uk