Giorgia Meloni, Carlos Alcaraz congratulate Jannik Sinner on retaining Wimbledon crown

Italian tennis sensation Jannik Sinner has successfully defended his Wimbledon men's singles title, a monumental victory that not only cements his place in history but also significantly widens his lead over arch-rival Carlos Alcaraz in the prestigious 'Big Titles' race.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni congratulated World No. 1 Jannik Sinner after he successfully defended his Wimbledon men's singles title. Taking to X after Sinner's triumph, Meloni hailed the 24-year-old for winning the prestigious Grand Slam title for the second consecutive year. 'With the victory at #Wimbledon, secured for the second year in a row, #Sinner writes another page in the history of Italian sport. Thank you, champion!" Meloni congratulated Sinner on X.

Sinner's ace rival Spain's Carlos Alcaraz also congratulated the World No. 1. Taking to Instagram, Alcaraz wrote: 'Congratulations Jannik and team! Enjoy the moment! @janniksin.' It was Alcaraz who lost to Sinner in last year's title match. Rod Laver, former World No. 4 James Blake and Brad Gilbert were also among those who congratulated Sinner and Zverev following the Wimbledon final.

Sinner's Dominant Performance

'What an exceptional men's final at Wimbledon. Alexander Zverev put up a sterling fight with bold ball-striking, but Sinner rose to every challenge. Congratulations to Jannik on another Wimbledon title,' Laver posted on X. 'What a level of tennis displayed by @janniksin and @AlexZverev in the Wimbledon final. Tremendous tennis from both and congratulations to the players and teams,' Blake wrote on X.

Sinner retained the Wimbledon crown with a 6-7(7), 7-6(2), 6-3, 6-4 victory over Alexander Zverev in the men's singles final. The win made Sinner the 10th player to retain the Wimbledon men's singles title and extended his winning streak against Zverev to 10 matches. The Italian bounced back from an early French Open exit to secure his sixth ATP title of the year, while Zverev's hopes of winning back-to-back Grand Slams ended despite reaching his second consecutive major final.

Widening the 'Big Titles' Gap

After successfully defending the Wimbledon crown, Sinner widened his advantage over arch-rival and Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz in the race for 'Big Titles'. Sinner defeated Alexander Zverev in the final to claim his 17th Big Title, a category that includes Grand Slam titles, ATP Finals trophies, ATP Masters 1000 titles and Olympic singles gold medals. Alcaraz currently has 15 Big Titles to his name, according to ATP website.

The Wimbledon triumph also marked Sinner's fifth Grand Slam title and his first major championship since winning the All England Club crown last year. All five of the Italian's Grand Slam titles have come since the start of the 2024 season. The race between Sinner and Alcaraz has shifted dramatically over the past few months. After Alcaraz won the Australian Open earlier this year, the Spaniard held a 15-11 lead in Big Titles. Since then, however, Sinner has dominated the biggest events on the ATP Tour, winning six of the last seven Big Title tournaments.

Sinner's Grand Slam Milestones

The triumph made Sinner the eighth active men's player to achieve 100 wins at Grand Slam tournaments. He joins an elite list featuring Novak Djokovic, Stan Wawrinka, Marin Cilic, Alexander Zverev, Gael Monfils, Kei Nishikori and Grigor Dimitrov. The 24-year-old now boasts a 100-22 win-loss record at Grand Slam events, giving him a win percentage of over 82 per cent.

His recent record at the sport's biggest tournaments has been particularly impressive. Since recording his 39th Grand Slam victory in the opening round of the 2024 Australian Open, Sinner has compiled a remarkable 62-6 record in majors. During that period, his only defeats have come against Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Novak Djokovic and Juan Manuel Cerundolo.

Among active players with at least 100 Grand Slam match wins, only Djokovic owns a better winning percentage than the Italian. Sinner's first Grand Slam match victory came at the 2020 Australian Open against Max Purcell. Earlier during this year's Wimbledon, he also became the Italian man with the most Grand Slam singles match wins, surpassing the previous national record with his 95th major victory after defeating Nuno Borges in the second round. The Italian has enjoyed particular success against American Ben Shelton at Grand Slam events, recording four victories over the left-hander across Wimbledon and the Australian Open in recent seasons.

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