Jannik Sinner wary of Alexander Zverev world No. 1 threat after Wimbledon final thriller - 'We have to be very careful now'

The world No. 1 fought back from losing the opening set tie-break by reeling off the next three in a row, extending his winning streak over the Roland-Garros champion to 10 in a row.

Despite that, Sinner quipped that he ”will have to be very careful” of Zverev as the German bids to catch him at the top of the ATP rankings.

Addressing Zverev on Centre Court after his win, Sinner said: ”You reached one of your main goals in winning a Grand Slam and made it happen in Paris.

”Today you were so, so close. If you play like this, I’m very sure you are going to have this one at home as well [the Wimbledon trophy]. Keep going, I know another goal for you is to become No. 1 in the world. You are very, very close, so we have to be very careful now.”

Sinner successfully defended the title he claimed for the first time last year to win his fifth major, closing the gap to rival Carlos Alcaraz – who missed the tournament through injury - on seven.

”There is no better place to play tennis,” Sinner said.

”Standing here, you feel the nerves on Sunday morning when you wake up. This is a very special day, and you never know how many times you can come back on Sunday.

”I never take things for granted, playing in front of very special people throughout the whole couple of weeks has been amazing. Thanks for the support, you are always amazing to me and you gave me the most special feeling a tennis player can ever feel.”

Sinner had to work hard for his four-set win, waiting until midway through the third set before claiming his first break point.

The first two sets were won via tie-break, Zverev taking the first and Sinner the second, as the two big hitters dominated on serve.

But the Italian pounced for a 5-3 lead in set three - shortly after an unfortunate slip left the second seed on his back - before serving out the set, and a single break proved enough in set four as he finished the job with a couple of sensational rallies.

”We both started off very well, serving very fast,” Sinner said.

”We prepared in the best possible way, me and my team, so I have to thank the whole team and support I get from the whole box.

”My mum, I see her, she left the stadium a couple of times. Being a player is not easy, but at the same time, it has been an amazing final once again.

"It always takes two players and me and Sascha tried to give everything we have. I’m very happy with the win but I’m mostly very happy with the level we both played.”

Sinner is no stranger to the feeling of a major victory, having picked up five in the space of two-and-a-half years.

However, he was questioned in a press conference about whether his 2026 triumph at Wimbledon was even more emotional, coming just a month-and-a-half on from his physical struggles during a shock exit to Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the second round of the French Open.

"I think every Grand Slam is different," Sinner said. "Different story, different environment, different feelings before the tournament.

"For me, this one means a lot because it was a tough one after Paris. Last year was also tough. But coming here, I tried to put myself in the best position to be as competitive as possible.

"We put in a lot of work days in Monaco, very, very long. Definitely sacrificing a lot of my time and everything to be in this position. Having this achievement, it means a lot to me. It was an amazing day today."

Eurosport expert Johanna Konta was convinced that the victory will be particularly meaningful to the world No. 1 as it helps him re-establish his dominance after a tournament to forget in Paris.

”This one must mean so much off the back of what happened at Roland-Garros just a few weeks ago," Konta said.

”Purely from the perspective of how he lost in that match against [Juan Manuel] Cerundolo at the French Open. Everyone was in shock and everyone thought, 'Oh my goodness, what has happened to Jannik Sinner?' Is he going to be the same robot AI man that we are so used to?

”I definitely thought this whole Wimbledon was about rebuilding his image and his aura within the locker room.”

Zverev was competing in his first Wimbledon final a month after ending a long wait for his maiden Grand Slam title by claiming the trophy at Roland-Garros.

The German pushed Sinner all the way but was unable to break the Italian’s serve in an intense encounter on Centre Court.

Speaking on court, Zverev joked: ”First of all, Jannik, I don’t really like you any more. I lost to you nine times in a row [actually 10]."

”Congratulations to Jannik, he showed once again why he’s the best player in the world. It was great to share Centre Court with you on finals weekend. It’s a great honour to be here. Unfortunately, it didn’t go my way.

”To Jannik’s team, who have been with him for many years now. You guys are world No. 1 now, but you started outside the top 10 and worked your way all the way to being Grand Slam champions, world No. 1. It’s definitely a team effort. Jannik is the first one to admit it, so congratulations to you guys as well, you really deserve it.

”Then to my team. We had a pretty good two months, I would say. Even though we lost this final, we had an amazing two months; we came into Wimbledon never reaching a quarter-final and played our first Wimbledon final.

"[I’m] 29 years old and this is the first time I actually believed I can win this trophy, so thanks to you guys too.”

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