Carlos Alcaraz’s reign at Wimbledon ended at the same time as confirmation that the new great rivalry in world tennis is a reality. A titanic duel in which Jannik Sinner forgot Paris, cut the streak of five consecutive defeats against the Spaniard and came from behind to win the first Wimbledon of his career with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory. Three hours and four minutes for the San Candido native to achieve the first triumph of an Italian at the All England Club.
35 days later, Sinner got rid of the thorn of Roland Garros against Carlos… and it was he who starred in the comeback. Days after coming close to elimination against Dimitrov, he took advantage of the opportunity that tennis gave him. A triumph that cuts the streak of two consecutive victories for Alcaraz in London (and the 24 matches unbeaten)… and avoids a third that would have put him on a par with Borg. Of the four matches that ‘Carlitos’ has lost on grass, by the way… two have been against Sinner.
The duel began without preliminaries, and it seemed that Alcaraz had started better. It was an impressive start on serve, as it had been throughout the tournament since the match against Rublev. However, his first serve started to fail him and he was more conservative with the second than he had been against Fritz. Sinner took advantage of this and after 19 minutes of play, he broke for 3-2 in his favor with the first break point. It was the first complication of the afternoon for Alcaraz.
And Carlos responded. The player from El Palmar began to find his game, triumphing in the long rallies and bringing out his wide repertoire. The forehand, a couple of drop shots, coming to the net and finishing with a volley or backhand. Sinner had doubts, Alcaraz grew and pumped his fist. The match, after 33 minutes, was tied again.
It was the moment of the Spaniard, and it quickly became clear. He turned a 15-30 deficit around after a double fault with courage and confidence. He served an impressive second serve to equalise, and closed the game with an ace at 225 km/h. He was left to serve for the first set, and he did not fail. He took advantage of the doubts of a Sinner who, for the first time, began to falter… and stretched his arm with the backhand to get a point from another planet that closed the set with four games in a row. The crowd on Centre Court rose to its feet and surrendered to Alcaraz.
Sinner’s reaction
But if Carlos is a super-gifted player, Sinner is not far behind. That’s why they have shared the last seven Grand Slams between them. The Italian instantly recovered and started the second set by breaking the serve of an Alcaraz who had dropped a couple of gears. He even lifted a break point against him to end up putting the score at 2-0. He let out a scream and humanized himself. He knew that, to beat Alcaraz at Wimbledon, he needed to go further.The match, however, was in the balance. Carlos did not let himself be carried away and again pushed Sinner to the limit, who struggled to hold his serve. At this point, all scenarios were possible. And Sinner also wanted to prove it. Despite playing a more defensive match, he had a break point from 40-0 after two consecutive double faults by Alcaraz. The Spaniard did not flinch and used his serve to save the game. His 21 winners (compared to Jannik’s 10) kept him in the running for another possible comeback.
The pressure was on Sinner: he had to close it out with his serve against a ‘Carlitos’ ready to take every opportunity. And he lived up to it. That’s why the San Candido native is the number one in the world. A point to the comeback and two magical forehands arriving in a forced manner equalized everything. He also knew how to get the crowd going. It was a great match. And there was still a long way to go.
It was another difficult start to the set, with two double faults (six at that stage of the match) and two break points for Sinner, but Carlos was taking a lot of risks with his serve, and there were more times when he got it right than when he got it wrong. And it was like that, with a couple of great first serves, that he got back in front.
However, Alcaraz had already said it beforehand: “In tennis everything can change in one or two points”. And this time, the dynamics had turned in favor of a Sinner who was transmitting better sensations. The Italian was excellent with his serve and Alcaraz dropped below 50% on first serves. The Spaniard’s conversations with his box increased and Jannik grew. That’s how the break came with Sinner having, once again, the opportunity of 6-4 on his serve. And he was exultant. Two sets to one. He had turned it around.
All or nothing for Alcaraz
It was time for the epic for a Carlos who seemed ‘touched’. Another comeback in the demanding mental game that is tennis. “We can do anything after what happened in Paris,” Alcaraz had said on Friday. And he had to prove it. He started the fourth set well, with a game and a “vamos” that seemed to get him back into the game, but Sinner gave no chance with his serve. He was imperial and Alcaraz was going to have to pull off a superlative performance to break his serve. Looking for a Roland Garros 2.0.
However, Sinner did not allow it. The change after losing the first set had been enormous and Carlos could only try to resist the onslaught of a world number one who was also impeccable on the return. He broke Alcaraz again… and was on his way to his first title at the All England Club. Jannik was making it clear that Dimitrov’s performance (where he was two sets down when the Bulgarian was injured) had been a bad day. Nothing more. And that fate had thrown him a lifeline that he did not intend to let go. He wanted it to be ‘his’ Wimbledon.
Carlos, however, clung to the “yes you can” that came out of the stands. He was left to get into the match… and Sinner doubted. Two break points that offered the Spaniard a lifeline to cling to. This time, however, it was an illusion. Four consecutive points from the Italian and game. He was left to win. Alcaraz held on and a “Carlos, Carlos, Carlos” began to rumble around Centre Court. They wanted more tennis. Sinner, however, put an end to it and gave Italy its first Wimbledon title in history. He was the champion.
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