Jannik Sinner captured his first Wimbledon title with an impressive four-set win over defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Although the Italian dropped the opening set, he rebounded quickly, took control of the match, and lifted the trophy in commanding fashion. Meanwhile, Alcaraz delivered a performance to forget.
In the third and fourth sets, the Spaniard appeared mentally blocked and struggled to find solutions. As Sinner began pulling away, Alcaraz grew visibly frustrated. “From the baseline, he’s being much better than me—much better,” the 22-year-old told his team from the court, a rare emotional outburst for a player known for his composure.
Alcaraz’s reaction drew criticism from tennis great Jimmy Connors. The former World No. 1 and two-time Wimbledon champion called out the Spaniard during his Advantage Connors podcast, arguing that a player of his caliber should never publicly reveal that kind of vulnerability.
“It’s not acceptable. I don’t know if I would’ve ever admitted something like that,” Connors said. “No matter what happens, you’ve got to go out there, mix things up, or try something different“.
Connors, who won eight Grand Slam singles titles and 125 career trophies including doubles, criticized Alcaraz’s lack of a backup plan when his game wasn’t working. “I know I say that a lot but if your game number one is not winning you have to figure something else out. I got my a— handed to me a couple of times at Wimbledon too. Everybody does,” he added.
Although Connors has often praised Alcaraz in the past, he didn’t hold back this time. “But if you are going to beat me you are going to have to beat me. I am trying to play three different games so if you are beating me at game one or game two, I am trying to do something different,” Connors continued. “You may not see it from the stands, but that is a tough thing to admit”.
Alcaraz reflects on his performance
Alcaraz acknowledged Sinner’s superior tactics, especially from the baseline, and admitted that he struggled to respond in key moments. “It was all about him pushing me to the limit in every point,” Alcaraz said after the match. “Mentally, it’s really tough to maintain. When you see the opponent playing such good tennis, I didn’t know what to do“.
He also pointed to the Italian’s advantage on second serves. “From the baseline, he was better than me. The big key was the second serves. He was returning really well and then attacking the second ball. It’s difficult when you’re defending all the time,” he continued.
“I just gave him a lot of free points on his second serve. He has a big first serve, but on second serves, I needed to do more. I had to be better with those points. But it was a great match—I think the level was really high,” he added.