Carlos Alcaraz 'couldn't do anything about it' against 'unbelievable' Jannik Sinner in Wimbledon final

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Carlos Alcaraz has praised the "unbelievable" performance of Jannik Sinner after the Italian won in four sets in Sunday's final to claim his maiden Wimbledon title. Alcaraz had been on a 24-match winning streak but said "he couldn't do anything about it" after being beaten on Centre Court. The defeat denied Alcaraz a third successive Wimbledon title but he leaves SW19 with his head "really high".

Wimbledon highlights: Sinner defeats Alcaraz in thrilling final to claim maiden title

Video credit: SNTV

Carlos Alcaraz has praised the "unbelievable" performance of Jannik Sinner after losing to the Italian in the final at Wimbledon, saying "he couldn’t do anything about it".

Sinner won 4-6 6-4 6-4 6-4 on Centre Court on Sunday to claim his first Wimbledon title and the fourth major of his career, denying Alcaraz a third successive triumph at SW19.

The result brought Alcaraz’s 24-match winning streak to an end, but the Spaniard was willing to accept he had been beaten by the better player.

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The 22-year-old told reporters: "It's always a bad feeling losing matches. I think it's even worse when you lose in a final.

"Overall, I'm just really proud about everything I've done [in] the last four weeks on grass here in London.

"I leave Wimbledon with [my] head really, really high because I just did everything that I could today. [I] just played against someone who played an unbelievable game."

Highlights: Sinner thrashes Djokovic to reach maiden final after Alcaraz gets better of Fritz

Video credit: SNTV

Alcaraz added: "He was pushing me to the limit in every point. So, mentally, sometimes it's really tough to maintain the good focus or the good level during the whole match when you see the opponent just playing such great tennis.

"At some points I didn't know what I had to do in the match because from the baseline I was feeling he was better than me, and I couldn't do anything about it."

It was a significant moment of redemption for Sinner, having blown a two-set lead to lose out to Alcaraz in the final of the French Open just 35 days ago.

Highlights: Alcaraz overpowers Sinner in classic Roland-Garros final

Video credit: TNT Sports

Alcaraz, who survived three championship points before going on to claim his second successive title at Roland-Garros, believes Sinner took valuable lessons from the epic contest in Paris.

"Champions learn from the losses," Alcaraz said. "I knew at the beginning that he was going to learn from that final, not going to make the same mistakes.

"The way he played today, it was really, really high. I [wasn't] surprised at all. I knew he was going to play like this."

Between them, Sinner and Alcaraz have now won the last seven Grand Slam tournaments since Novak Djokovic’s win at the US Open in 2023.

It is an ominous statistic for the rest of the tour, particularly with Alcaraz suggesting the pair are a cut above their peers.

Discussing his rivalry with Sinner, Alcaraz said: "I think it's great for us, and it is great for the tennis.

"Every time we [are] playing against each other, I think our level is really high. I think we don't watch a level like this, if I'm honest with you.

"I don't see any players playing against each other, having the level that we are playing when we face each other."

Sinner will now set his sights on levelling Alcaraz’s tally of five majors when he looks to defend the US Open in two months’ time.

Sinner 'proud' of response to French Open defeat

Following defeat against Alcaraz in the final of the French Open, Sinner said it was "important" to clinch a big victory over the 22-year-old in the context of their rivalry.

Alcaraz had won the previous five meetings between the pair heading into Sunday’s final at Wimbledon, with Sinner last coming out on top at the China Open in 2023.

But he admitted that his response to losing out in Paris is what makes him "the proudest" of his victory at SW19, because dealing with the defeat "has really not been easy".

'Amazing battle, you deserve it' - Sinner pays tribute to Roland-Garros winner Alcaraz

Video credit: TNT Sports

When asked about securing a long-awaited win over Alcaraz, the world No. 1 said: "It is important, for sure, because when you lose several times against someone, it's not easy.

"But in the same time, in the past, I felt that I was very close. I never pushed myself down.

"I keep looking up to Carlos because even today, I felt like he was doing a couple of things better than I did.

"So that's something where we will work on and prepare ourselves because he's going to come for us again. There is not only Carlos, but everyone. We have a big target on us, so we have to be prepared."

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