For Alexander Zverev, it was the perfect chance to capture a second Grand Slam title after his breakthrough triumph at Roland Garros. But his Italian rival, Jannik Sinner, successfully defended the Wimbledon crown at Centre Court. Though the title has now slipped away, Sascha won over the SW19 crowd with a cheeky response after the match.

“First of all, Jannik [Sinner], I don’t really like you anymore,” Zverev shared at his post-match trophy ceremony. “I lost to you nine times in a row, but first of all, congratulations to you. You showed once again why you are the best player in the world. It’s great to share this Centre Court with you in the final weeks, and it’s a great honour to be here,” he added.

The 29-year-old entered the SW19 final carrying a difficult record against the Italian. He had already lost 9 consecutive matches to Sinner before their latest meeting.

Despite that streak, Zverev made a bright start. He claimed the opening set in an intense tie-break and looked ready to challenge for another Grand Slam title. However, the top seed gradually took control of the match and defeated Zverev 6(7)-7, 7-6(2), 6-3, 6-4 to defend his SW19 crown.

The victory also improved Sinner’s H2H record. He has now won 10 of their 14 meetings. The Wimbledon final also marked their fifth meeting of the 2026 season. With the triumph, the Italian became just the 10th player to defend the SW19 men’s singles title. 

Earlier this year, things looked very different for the Italian ace. He suffered a second-round exit at the French Open after losing a five-set battle to Juan Manuel Cerundolo in difficult conditions.

The German took full advantage of Sinner’s early exit in Paris. He went on to capture the first Grand Slam title of his career. But on the grass courts of the All-England Club, the story changed completely. A fit, confident, and in-form Sinner refused to let history repeat itself.

And although Sascha ended the tournament in defeat, there could still be positive news ahead. The excellent grass-court Slam performance he produced this season may yet bring more rewards in the months to come.

Alexander Zverev set to become latest ATP world No. 2 player despite SW19 defeat

Although Sascha fell short in the SW19 final, he still has plenty to celebrate. The German top seed is set to climb in the ATP Rankings after an impressive grass-court campaign.

With Carlos Alcaraz missing both Roland Garros and Wimbledon because of a wrist injury, his absence opened the door for Zverev to make an important move. With Sunday’s result, the 29-year-old will overtake the Spaniard and become the new World No. 2 on Monday. 

The current Roland Garros champion has also secured his place at the ATP Finals this year and will mark his ninth appearance in 2026. Despite the rise, the German ace still has work to do in the race for world No. 1 as he remains 4,970 ranking points behind the top seed Jannik Sinner.

Yet, even after the defeat, Sascha chose to focus on the positives. He thanked his team for helping him through an outstanding two-month stretch. 

“We had a pretty good two months, I would say, even though we lost this final,” Zverev added on court. “We had an amazing two months. We came into Wimbledon having never reached the quarter-finals, and we played our first Wimbledon final. 29 years old, this is the first time that I actually believe I can win this trophy, so thanks to you guys as well,” he explained.

Now, with this year’s SW19 complete, the tour turns its attention toward the North American hard court swing, where the next chapter of the season begins.