LONDON. — When Jannik Sinner arrived at three match points in the fourth set of his Wimbledon final against Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday, the memory of what happened five weeks ago in Paris was flashing through the minds of everyone inside Centre Court.
Everyone, perhaps, except world No. 1 Sinner, who managed to banish any lurking demons from the darkest recesses of his brain to seal a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory and become the first Italian Wimbledon singles champion.
Just as on the Parisian clay, 23-year-old Sinner was the better player for long periods. Just as at Roland Garros he had the title in his hands.
But unlike that day when three consecutive match points vanished in the fourth set and Alcaraz roared back to win the longest French Open final ever, this time the ice-cool Sinner was never going to be denied.
Alcaraz, who was bidding to become only the fifth man in the professional era to win three successive Wimbledon titles under the watchful eye of Spain’s King Felipe in the Royal Box, saved one match point.
But this time there was no escape for Alcaraz as Sinner fired down an unreturnable serve.
There were no ecstatic celebrations either. Sinner raised his arms to the sky, before consoling the man he dethroned and headed off in time-honored fashion to embrace those in his box.
“Back in the days when I was young, this was only a dream, because it was so far away from where I’m from,” the man from the Dolomites who could have become a top skier, said on court.
“Emotionally I had a very tough loss in Paris. So I’m very happy that I held my nerves and yeah, it’s an amazing feeling.”
