JANNIK SINNER said the emotional pain of his French Open collapse against Carlos Alcaraz inspired Sunday’s Wimbledon final victory against his arch-rival.
Sinner beat Alcaraz 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 on Centre Court to win Wimbledon for the first time and avenge his agonising five-set defeat to the Spaniard in the Roland Garros showpiece in June.
The world number one blew a two-set lead and wasted three championship points in an epic collapse in Paris, but he held his nerve in the rematch at the All England Club.
“I would say mostly emotionally because I had a very tough loss in Paris. But it doesn’t matter how you win or lose, you just have to understand what you did wrong and try to work on it,“ the 23-year-old said.
“This is what we did. This is one of the reasons I’m here holding this trophy.”
Sinner is the first Italian man to win Wimbledon, ending Alcaraz’s two-year reign as champion.
“It’s so special. We were talking before the match. We would never have thought of being in this position back in the days when I was young,“ said the four-time Grand Slam winner.
“It was just a dream. This was so far away from where I am from.”
Alcaraz had no complaints about the end of his 24-match winning streak, a blistering run that brought him titles at the French Open, Rome, Monte Carlo and Queen’s Club.
“It’s difficult to lose but first of all I have to congratulate Jannik. It is a really well deserved trophy. He was playing great tennis,“ the world number two said.
“Really happy to be able to build a really good relationship with him off the court and a great rivalry on the court.”
Alcaraz, a five-time Grand Slam champion, was beaten in a major final for the first time, but he had no regrets after falling short of a third successive Wimbledon crown.
“Really proud of everything I’m doing. At the beginning of the season I struggled a bit and then suddenly I started to bring joy to the court again,“ he said.
“Wimbledon is one of the most beautiful tournaments that we have on tour. I feel at home every time that I come here.
“It is such a beautiful court. The atmosphere is insane. It’s a great journey so far. I just want to keep it going.” – AFP
