Jannik Sinner took his revenge on Carlos Alcaraz and lifted his first Wimbledon trophy. One month after the Roland Garros final, when Carlitos saved three championship points and two sets down to lift the trophy, the two best players in the world clashed again, and this time the Italian was better all the way through.
Some feel joy, other disappointment, but overall the world of tennis is celebrating the consolidation of a rivalry that will push men's tennis into a new era post-Big Three, similar to the one between Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal. In typical tennis fashion, each player showed a masterclass of respect by thanking and praising their rival at the trophy ceremony in Wimbledon.
"Carlos, thank you for the player you are", said Sinner. "It's so difficult to play against you, but we have an amazing relationship off the court and on the court. Keep going, keep pushing and you are going to hold this [trophy] many times. You already have two!", said Sinner, who added that "I keep looking up to Carlos because even today I felt like he was doing a couple of things better than I did".
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Sinner also thanked his family, who witnessed his great match against Alcaraz. "It's so special. Seeing my parents here, my brother, my whole team, it's amazing. Actually a special thanks to my brother, because there is no Formula 1 race this weekend, that's why he is here", he joked, proud of not only bringing his first Wimbledon trophy, but also the first singles title, men's or women's, for an Italian player at the grass Grand Slam.
Alcaraz thanks Sinner for making him improve
"It's difficult to lose. It's always difficult to lose, even if it is in the final, but first of all I have to congratulate Jannik once again" Alcaraz said, adding that it is "a really well-deserved trophy". "I'm really happy for you. So just keep it going, and I'm really happy to be able to build a really good relationship off the court but then a good rivalry on the court. It makes me improve every day".
Saying "you make me improve" may be a topic in tennis, but it's nonetheless true, as it became clear during the Big Three era, with Nadal, Federer and Djokovic chasing each other for two decades. Alcaraz explained it further in a post-match interview, via ATP:
"We're building a really great rivalry because we're playing finals of Grand Slams, finals of Masters - the best tournaments in the world. It's going to be better and better. I am just really grateful for that because it gives me the opportunity to just give my 100 per cent every practice, every day, just to be better, thanks to that. The level that I have to maintain and I have to raise if I want to beat Jannik is really high".