Jannik Sinner, a month after a shock second-round exit at Roland Garros, came from a set down to beat second seed Alexander Zverev 6-7(7), 7-6(2), 6-3, 6-4 in men’s singles final on July 12 (Sunday), retaining his Wimbledon crown and claiming a fifth career Grand Slam title in a match that ran three hours and 46 minutes.

For Zverev, the defeat ended his bid to become just the seventh man in the Open Era to complete the Roland Garros-Wimbledon double in the same season. Despite serving with venom throughout, peaking at 139mph, the German could not hold off Sinner’s return game once the Italian settled into the contest.

Set-by-Set Breakdown: A Serve-Dominated War

First Set: Zverev Draws First Blood

An early rally lasting 22 shots in the opening game set the tone, with Zverev eventually punching a volleyed winner into the open court. Sinner’s best chance to break came at 3-4, but he missed a forehand on the opportunity, and the set went to a tiebreak. Zverev saved one set point with an ace before closing it out on his second, ripping a forehand winner up the line to take the breaker 9-7.

Second Set: Sinner Levels It

With no breaks through the first twelve games, the set again went to a tiebreak, and this time it was the Italian who pulled away, reading Zverev’s serve better and capitalising as the German’s forehand began to leak errors. Sinner took the breaker 7-2 to level the match.

Third Set: The Turning Point

The set turned on a single, dramatic passage of play. Serving at 3-3, Sinner produced a delicate drop shot that forced Zverev to change direction sharply, and the German slipped on the Centre Court turf, appearing to hyperextend his right knee. Sinner walked around the net to help his opponent up before the match resumed, 2hr 42min in. Zverev played on but looked hampered, and two games later, serving at 4-3, he double-faulted and missed a routine forehand to hand Sinner the first break of the match. Sinner served out the set 6-3.

Fourth Set: Sinner Closes It Out

The fourth set followed a similar script. Sinner broke again at 4-3 with a forehand winner that clipped the net cord and died away from Zverev, then served out the championship at 6-4, sealing it with a forehand winner up the line on his first match point. He dropped to his back on the grass in celebration.

“There’s no better place to play tennis,” Sinner said during the trophy ceremony.

Zverev, who was contesting his first Wimbledon final after nine previous appearances without going beyond the fourth round, was gracious in defeat. “He showed once again why he’s the best player in the world,” he said.

The Record Books

By retaining his title, the 24-year-old Sinner became the tenth man in the Open Era to successfully defend the Wimbledon singles crown. He also became the fifth man in the Open Era to defend Grand Slam titles at two different majors before turning 25, joining Roger Federer, Jim Courier, Carlos Alcaraz and Björn Borg. His fifth major arrived across three surfaces and two tournaments, Australian Open (2024, 2025), US Open (2024) and Wimbledon (2025, 2026), and stretches his winning streak over Zverev to ten matches, with the head-to-head now standing at 11-4 in the Italian’s favour.