Jannik Sinner the winner

JANNIK Sinner kept a cool head against the red-hot favourite, Carlos Alcaraz, to win his maiden Wimbledon title. Even the stifling London heat, which troubled players as well as spectators throughout the premier tennis tournament, failed to melt Sinner’s steely resolve. The triumph helped him exorcise a couple of ghosts — a three-month ban imposed by the World Anti-Doping Agency after he tested positive for an anabolic steroid, and a heartbreaking loss to Alcaraz in an epic five-setter at the French Open last month. Besides becoming Italy’s first Wimbledon singles champion, he claimed his fourth Grand Slam crown to inch closer to Alcaraz’s tally of five.

Sunday’s final was not in the same league as the sensational clash in Paris, where Sinner squandered a two-set lead as well as three match points to the Spaniard. This time, the Italian didn’t give his fancied opponent any opportunity to make a comeback. On display was his resilience and the ability to learn from his mistakes. The loss must have been painful for Alcaraz, who had never been outplayed in a Grand Slam final. Rest assured, he will pull out all the stops to excel in the US Open next month.

The intense, healthy rivalry between Sinner and Alcaraz is the best thing that has happened in the world of men’s tennis after the long reign of the Big Three — Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Both are in their early twenties, and if they keep going in this vein for a decade or so, they will eventually figure among the all-time greats of the game. On a sad note, Wimbledon-2025 virtually marked the end of a glorious era as Djokovic, the winner of a record 24 Grand Slam titles, was blown away by Sinner in the semifinal. It’s almost all over for the 38-year-old legend, as the young guns are well and truly calling the shots.

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