London, July 13 (IANS) After Jannik Sinner defeated Alexander Zverev to win his second consecutive Wimbledon crown, icons from inside and outside the sport, including Carlos Alcaraz, Sachin Tendulkar, Lindsey Vonn, Rod Laver and more, showered praises on the Italian’s triumph.
Sinner repelled the three-hour, 46-minute all-out attack from Alexander Zverev to win 6-7(7), 7-6(2), 6-3, 6-4. With his title triumph, he also earned his 100th Grand Slam match win, becoming the eighth active player to reach the 100-major-wins milestone, joining Novak Djokovic (409), Stan Wawrinka (160), Marin Cilic (143), Zverev (131), Gael Monfils (130), Kei Nishikori (104) and Grigor Dimitrov (103).
Sinner’s first match win at a major was at the 2020 Australian Open against Max Purcell. Earlier this fortnight, he set the record for most major men’s singles wins by an Italian, doing so by beating Nuno Borges in the second round for his 95th Slam victory.
“Congratulations Jannik and team!,” Alcaraz, who fell to Sinner in last year’s title match, posted on Instagram Stories. “Enjoy the moment! @janniksin.”
Indian cricket legend and longtime tennis fan Tendulkar, who was present at The Championships earlier in the week, provided his analysis of the final on X, congratulating the No. 1 player in the ATP Rankings, Sinner, and Zverev on their valiant effort.
“@AlexZverev really threw everything at @janniksin today! His serve, his movement, his shot-making… outstanding. But Sinner showed why champions need more than just their best tennis. He had to fight through difficult moments, stay composed and keep believing. That resilience made the difference. Congratulations, Jannik Sinner, on another @Wimbledon title!” Sachin wrote.
Rod Laver, former World No. 4 James Blake and Brad Gilbert were also among those who congratulated Sinner and Zverev following the Wimbledon final.
“What an exceptional men’s final at Wimbledon,” Laver posted on X. “Alexander Zverev put up a sterling fight with bold ball-striking, but Sinner rose to every challenge. Congratulations to Jannik on another Wimbledon title.”
“What a level of tennis displayed by @janniksin and @AlexZverev in the Wimbledon final,” Blake wrote on X. “Tremendous tennis from both and congratulations to the players and teams. Congrats to Sin City @janniksin on winning a second consecutive @Wimbledon,” Brad Gilbert shared on X.
The 24-year-old now owns a 100-22 record at Grand Slam tournaments, an 82 per cent win rate. But perhaps what has been most impressive has been the Italian’s performance for the second half of those 100 victories.
Starting from his 39th major win, which came in the first round of the 2024 Australian Open, Sinner has tallied a 62-6 record at the Grand Slam tournaments (91.2%). His only defeats during that stretch have come against Carlos Alcaraz (3), Daniil Medvedev, Djokovic and Juan Manuel Cerundolo.
