Why Carlos Alcaraz v Jannik Sinner will be one of the best Wimbledon finals ever

Metro

19 hours ago

Wimbledon finals like this don't come around very often.
The two best tennis players on the planet – Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner – will fight it out on Sunday to land the biggest prize in the sport.
If their showdown is anything like this year's epic French Open final, then we're definitely set for one of the greatest Wimbledon clashes of all time.
The world No.1 and world No.2 battled it out for five hours and 29 minutes in Paris – in what became the second-longest Grand Slam final in history.
If there was a void when Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal retired, then it has already been filled by these two absolute titans, who are already head and shoulders above any other player currently active on the ATP Tour.
It was clear from Sinner's incredibly dominant victory over Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals that the changing of the guard is well and truly here.
Alcaraz and Sinner have already won the last six majors between them but Sunday's match is just the second time they've met in a Grand Slam final. Australian Open 2024 – Jannik Sinner
– Jannik Sinner French Open 2024 – Carlos Alcaraz
– Carlos Alcaraz Wimbledon 2024 – Carlos Alcaraz
– Carlos Alcaraz US Open 2024 – Jannik Sinner
– Jannik Sinner Australian Open 2025 – Jannik Sinner
– Jannik Sinner French Open 2025 – Carlos Alcaraz
While there seems to be a lack of needle between the pair – given they're always heaping praise on each other, at least in front of the media anyway – this year's Wimbledon final will surely take their rivalry to the next level.
If Sinner loses, he'll be stuck on three Grand Slam titles, half the amount that Alcaraz would've racked up. Despite being so fond of one another, that would surely put some kind of resentment in the Italian star's heart.
If Alcaraz loses, Sinner will be just one major trophy behind the Spaniard with the chance to match and then leapfrog him should he defend his titles at the US Open and Australian Open, where he's the current champion.
Analysis from Metro's dedicated tennis reporter Liam Grace…
Before a ball was hit, I was absolutely adamant that Alcaraz would land the Wimbledon trophy again. He entered the Championships having won 18 matches in a row, winning the title at Queen's Club en route.
But I'd be lying if the thought of Sinner coming out on top didn't enter my mind after Alcaraz needed five sets to battle past 38-year-old Fabio Fognini in the first round, while the Italian dropped just 18 games on his way to the last 16, breaking a record set by the great Roger Federer.
But then more drama followed… Sinner arguably would've crashed out if it wasn't for his walkover win over Grigor Dimitrov, and there were huge question marks over his elbow injury until he smashed Ben Shelton and Djokovic in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively.
It's so incredibly hard to call that when Taylor Fritz was asked to predict the champion after his semi-final loss to Alcaraz, he failed to provide an answer. When I spoke to Jamie Murray earlier in the tournament, he argued that Alcaraz becomes harder to beat the further he progresses.
It really is on a knife-edge but after Alcaraz beat Sinner in the French Open final this year, coming from two sets down, mixed with his experience of clinching the last two Wimbledon titles, I would narrowly give the edge to the Spaniard.
Predicted winner: Carlos Alcaraz
There's so much on the line this weekend that any sports fan – regardless of how much you like tennis or not – would be a little foolish to miss it.
'I expect that on Sunday [I will be pushed to the limit],' Alcaraz said ahead of the Wimbledon final against Sinner.
'It's going to be a great day, a great final. I'm excited about it. I just hope it won't be five-and-half hours on the court again – [but] if I have to, I will.
'The level that Jannik is playing is really high, as always. I think he doesn't go down his level in the matches. It's unbelievable what he can do on a tennis court.
'The movement that Jannik has on grass is unbelievable. He's sliding like he's playing on clay.'
American world No.5 Fritz was asked to explain the biggest differences between the way Alcaraz and Sinner play at Wimbledon this year.
'I think Jannik typically has a bigger serve, so it's tougher to get in on his return games,' Fritz explained. 'Jannik plays a bit flatter, and it's a little bit more predictable [but] he's unbelievable at what he does playing from the baseline.
'I think Carlos is a little more unpredictable with the slicing and the coming to net and the drop shots. Carlos has a lot of different ways to play. One thing he does, when he whips his forehand cross, there's a lot of movement away.
'They both generate a lot of just, like, raw power. But I think for me it's a little more uncomfortable to play Carlos just because of the unpredictability of what he's going to do. You never know what Carlos might just hit like a short kicker and serve and volley on like a 15-30 or something like that.'
Sinner, meanwhile, added: 'It's going to be difficult, I know that. But I'm looking forward to it.
'After Roland-Garros I practiced very hard, maybe more, to improve as a player.
'This is the second consecutive Grand Slam that we are in the final and playing each other.
'I believe it's good for the sport. The more rivalries we have from now on, the better it is, because people want to see young players going against each other. He is the favourite. He won here two times in a row.'
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