Wimbledon runner-up Alexander Zverev will rise to second in the ATP world rankings on Monday and while Centre Court conqueror Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are the dominant forces in men’s tennis, the German believes his new attacking strategy can help him close the gap.
Key Factors
The 29-year-old went toe-to-toe with world number one Sinner on Sunday, snapping a run of 14 lost sets to the Italian to lead the final before losing 6-7(7) 7-6(2) 6-3 6-4. Had it not been for a fall at 3-3 in the third set on his only break point of the match, Zverev may well have become the first German man to win the singles title at the All England Club since Michael Stich in 1991. Sinner, who thrashed Djokovic 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 here in 2025, is not the player who went on an awe-inspiring 29-match winning run earlier this year. At the French Open, he was troubled by the heat and lost early; over the past 10 days here, he has not been at his clinical best. But much will depend on the 39-year-old’s recovery after the five-hour, 15-minute marathon versus Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Because the gap between them appears to have shrunk a little, the Sinner-Djokovic fixture will be more intriguing, primarily. It was his 10th loss in a row to Sinner but unlike most of the other nine, this one was a real fight. Djokovic beat Sinner over five pulsating sets in the Australian Open semifinal in January, snapping a run of five defeats to the Italian.
Two days’ rest would have helped, and so will the additional time on Friday, for Djokovic’s will be the second match.
Evidence and Data
That’s the tennis I want to play. “When I have the opportunity, I hit it. Whether I make it or miss it, that depends on the day. “That’s my goal, that’s my aim for this year, that’s my aim for hopefully the rest of my career. “Maybe not the freshest, like at the beginning of the tournament, but I was alright. He (Sinner) was much better and the dominant force. You just have to hand it to him and say, ‘congrats, well done.’” If a tournament’s final four has the top two seeds, its greatest active champion and a local hero, it’s like drawing a royal flush in poker. With the best cards in hand, the event is always going to be a winner.
Zverev’s first serve percentage hovered around 80% for much of the final against Sinner while his forehand, once regarded as too passive, was used to destructive effect to rock the Italian. Zverev believes he can challenge them for the game’s big prizes While Sinner and Alcaraz have 12 Grand Slam titles between them. With a power-packed performance, second seed Alexander Zverev ousted wildcard Fery 7-6(0), 6-2, 6-4 on Friday to enter his first Wimbledon final. The evidence for that was all too stark, for Sinner played his best match of the competition and came up with a serving masterclass — 16 aces, 88% first-serve points won and 61% on the second.
“I’ve said it at the beginning of the year, and I’ve stuck to it. That’s the game style I want to play,” Zverev told reporters. But I definitely go for it,” he said. The 39-year-old Serb termed the defeat “a good old blow out” and said that he “was half a step late” for every shot.
