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 number one 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, whose bid to become only the fifth man in the professional era to win three successive Wimbledon titles was watched from the Royal Box by Spain’s King Felipe, 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. Sinner raised his arms to the sky, before consoling the man he de-throned and headed off in time-honoured 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 been 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.
While Sunday’s duel contained some mind-boggling points, it lacked the twists of last month’s Roland Garros roller-coaster.
It did, though, underline why the Sinner-Alcaraz rivalry is set to dominate men’s tennis for the foreseeable future.
Alcaraz had led their series 8-4 entering Sunday’s final, including winning their last five showdowns. So while Sinner was fuelled by a shot at redemption, he also needed to make a statement.
He did so with a superlative display of craft and skill. He refused to be knocked off track by losing the last four games of the first set and went on to pick apart Alcaraz’s game with a level of tennis his opponent could not match.
GREAT RIVALRY
“It is always difficult to lose even if it is in the final. I have to congratulate Jannik once again,” Alcaraz, who lost for the first time in 25 matches dating back to April, said.
“I am really happy for you. Keep it going. It is great to build a great rivalry and you made me improve every day.”
But for Alcaraz’s astonishing comeback in Paris, Sinner would now hold all four Grand Slam titles, having won last year’s U.S. Open and a second Australian Open this year.
He had a large slice of luck en route to his first Wimbledon final when Grigor Dimitrov retired injured while leading by two sets in their fourth-round clash.
Since then he barely put a foot wrong.
Alcaraz was below his best on Sunday and was always vulnerable to Sinner’s crisp, early ball-striking. He still hit back from a slow start though and clinched the first set with a stretching backhand sliced winner from an impossible position.
Sinner grabbed an early break in the second though and consolidated it despite a Champagne cork popping and landing on the court – prompting a chorus of loud boos.
Just as Alcaraz sealed the opening set in style, Sinner produced a moment of magic to take the second, whipping an audacious forehand winner at full elastic stretch.
The third set felt crucial and after a lull it was Alcaraz who blinked, dropping serve at 4-4 after a slide and slip on the baseline allowed Sinner to guide away a winner.
Sinner duly held serve to move one set from victory but after what happened in Paris five weeks ago, it still felt like the finishing line was far away.
But the usual Alcaraz exuberance was missing and he was scowling after Sinner clubbed away a backhand winner off a short second serve to gain an early break in the fourth.
Alcaraz’s mood darkened when Sinner held serve for a 4-2 lead with a net cord off of a forehand.
Sinner survived a huge test of his nerve at 4-3, 15-40 when a break may have re-ignited Alcaraz but he showed remarkable composure to take the next four points.
The biggest examination came at 5-4 though with Sinner obliged to serve for the title and he passed it with barely a backward glance.
