Sinner becomes first Italian to win Wimbledon, denies Alcaraz three-peat

Sinner shined in the biggest moments 😮‍💨

Today's Play of the Day, presented by @BarclaysUK #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/KF8rG5fTNa

Sinner said he was "living his dream", prompting an eruption of cheers from the Centre Court crowd.

"An amazing tournament, thank you for the player you are," he said to world number two Alcaraz. "It is so difficult to play against you.

"I am going to keep hold of this (trophy), you have two already!"

Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales before the presentation after Italy's Jannik Sinner won the men's singles final against Spain's Carlos Alcaraz. Photo: Reuters

The tennis world has been captivated by the emergence of the new rivalry between the players to follow the storied "Big Three" era of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

Sinner and two-time defending Wimbledon champion Alcaraz have now shared the past seven Grand Slam titles between them, with the Italian winning four of those.

Defeat in Paris last month was a bitter blow for Sinner, who led by two sets and had a clutch of championship points.

Prior to Sunday's victory, he had lost five consecutive times against Alcaraz, including the final of the Italian Open in the first tournament he played after returning from a three-month doping ban.

But this time he turned the tables in impressive fashion.

Both players were solid on serve until the fifth game, when Alcaraz sprayed a forehand long to hand Sinner the first break of the match.

But the Spaniard levelled at 4-4 to the delight of the Centre Court crowd, which included Prince William and his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales.

Sinner double-faulted to hand Alcaraz a second set point.

The Italian laced a searing forehand down the line but Alcaraz produced a magical backhand winner, pointing his finger to his ear as the crowd rose to their feet.

Momentum shift

Sinner, still wearing a protective white sleeve after his nasty fall in his fourth-round match against Grigor Dimitrov, broke in the first game of the second set and led 3-1 after play was briefly halted by a flying cork.

Sinner shook his racquet after winning the first point as he served for the set and was rewarded with cheers before levelling the match with a whipped forehand.

The third set was a tense affair that went with serve until the ninth game when Sinner broke as Alcaraz slipped over on the baseline and he went 2-1 up.

The momentum was now all with Sinner and he broke again in the third game of the fourth set to take the match by the scruff of the neck.

The chance was always there that Alcaraz would produce the magic he found at Roland Garros but Sinner stayed focused.

Italy's Jannik Sinner celebrates with the trophy after winning the men's final alongside runner up Spain's Carlos Alcaraz. Photo: Reuters

The Spaniard had two break points to hit back in the eighth game but Sinner shut the door.

Sinner stepped up to serve for the championship amid a cacophony of noise, sealing the deal on his second championship point.

The Italian cruised through the first three rounds at Wimbledon, losing just 17 games -- equalling an Open era record set in 1972.

But he got lucky in the fourth round against inspired Bulgarian 19th seed Dimitrov, who was leading by two sets when he suffered an injury that forced him to quit.

Sinner got back into the groove against 10th seed Ben Shelton in the quarter-finals before demolishing seven-time champion Djokovic in the last four.

Alcaraz had been aiming to become just the fifth man in the Open era to win three consecutive Wimbledons after Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Federer and Djokovic.

Alcaraz rivalry

Sinner returned to the court in May, reaching the final of the Italian Open, where he was beaten by Alcaraz.

Next on his schedule was the French Open and again he reached the title match, this time suffering heartbreak as Alcaraz came back from two sets down, saving three match points to defend his title.

That gave the Spaniard an 8-4 lead in the rivalry between the pair and was his fifth straight win.

Sinner's crowning moment 🤩#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/CpQxPKAS73

But the tables were turned on Sunday as Sinner showed impressive mental strength to come back after losing the first set.

Sinner was born in German-speaking San Candido, in northern Italy, near the border with Austria.

A career in professional tennis was not a given.

He was a champion skier as a youngster and still enjoys the sport in the off-season. He was also a keen footballer.

The right-hander, who stands six feet 3 inches (191 centimetres) tall, won his first title indoors in Sofia in 2020.

The 2024 season was his breakthrough year as he collected his first Grand Slam, the Australian Open, and followed up with seven other titles including the US Open.

Nothing but class from Jannik Sinner 👏

The new #Wimbledon champion thanks the ball boys and ball girls at SW19 for their hard work during The Championships 2025 ✨ pic.twitter.com/gRPktN36YP

He became world number one -- and the first Italian to reach top spot -- in June last year.

Sinner's super-power is his extraordinary ability to stay calm on court.

"I know he's just 23 years of age, but sometimes it feels like he's much older and wiser than what we are," said his coach Darren Cahill. "He's an incredible young man."

Sinner makes no secret of the fact that he loves the job he has chosen.

"I'm very lucky because tennis started off a hobby when I was young, and now it becomes my job," he said.

"In my mind it's still a hobby. I love to go on court and just play. There is no better place to do it than in big stadiums with packed crowd."