Jannik Sinner said he is living his dream after defeating Carlos Alcaraz in spectacular fashion to win his first Wimbledon title. The world No 1 beat the two-time defending champion 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to become the first Italian to win a Wimbledon singles title and clinch his fourth grand slam crown.
“It’s amazing to be in this position,” Sinner said. “We were talking before the match, we would never have thought to be in this position back in the days when I was young. This was only a dream; dream of the dream as it was so far away from where I am from.
“I am living my dream. It’s amazing. I want to thank my team and everyone who came here from this special day. You give me so much emotions on and off the court and we try to keep pushing and become a better tennis player, but mostly a better person.”
A month before Sinner’s Wimbledon triumph, the Italian had endured a devastating defeat against Alcaraz in the French Open final, losing in five sets after holding a triple match point in the fourth set.
Asked what the biggest challenge on the path to winning his first trophy, Sinner said: “I would say mostly emotionally because I had a very tough loss in Paris. But at the end of the day it really doesn’t matter how you win or you lose. Especially in important tournaments. You just have to understand what you did wrong, try to work on that.
“That is exactly what we did. To accept the loss and to keep working, this is for sure one of the reasons why I hold the trophy here. I am just so grateful that I am healthy, I have great people around me, which is the most important part, and having this trophy with them means a lot.”
Sinner’s victory marks a turning point in his rivalry with Alcaraz, which looks likely to define the next few years of men’s tennis. His triumph ended Alcaraz’s five consecutive wins against him and the Spaniard’s 24-match winning run.
