Key events<\/p>\n
*Sinner (7)6-7 7-6(2) 4-3 Zverev A double, only the second of the match, invites Zverev into the game, then a decent return is sent back long; 0-30, and the first sniff in quite some time. Sinner, though, dispatches a swing-volley, then two service winners take him close to the hold \u2026 so Zverev explodes into a flat forehand and the biggest compliment I can pay it is to say it\u2019s one of which Juan Martin del Potro would be proud; deuce. And then, when Sinner doesn\u2019t do enough at net, Zverev punishes him with a deep backhand he cant get back, raising break point; denied, Sinner taking control with a backhand down the line, then faking a forehand and dropping \u2026 as Zverev, buying it cash-in-hand, slips trying to change tack and hurts his knee. Sinner, gent that he is, doesn\u2019t stop to kvel at his ridiculous work, coming around the net to extend a hand, before quickly closing out the game. Zverev looks OK, but there\u2019s a chance he stiffens.<\/p>\n
Share<\/a><\/p>\n Sinner (7)6-7 7-6(2) 3-3 Zverev* Jannik Sinner is a freak of nature, slipping like Bambi on ice playing a fine return, scurrying over to the other corner to retrieve superbly \u2026 and the pressure incites Zverev to flap long. There\u2019s no sense he\u2019s enjoying this, but a fine point for 15-all is followed by an ace, and from there, he closes out. He\u2019s being made to work for his holds, but so far, he\u2019s managing to get them done.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a013.52 EDT<\/p>\n *Sinner (7)6-7 7-6(2) 3-2 Zverev Sinner\u2019s holds are coming so easily now, and another to love puts Zverev under pressure. He\u2019s not projecting the confidence of earlier, but as long as he holds, he\u2019s well in the match; should he lose this set, it\u2019d be hard to envisage him coming back.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Sinner (7)6-7 7-6(2) 2-2 Zverev* Again, Sinner makes 0-15 on the Zverev serve, something he struggled to achieve in sets one and two. But though a service winner gives him 30-15, Sinner skids and splits into a backhand then secures the point via fore, dictating rallies with emphatic authority.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the most unutterably tedious tennis match I\u2019ve ever watched,\u201d reckons Richard Carter. \u201cIt reaches unimaginably boring heights. I\u2019m off to find a patch of paint to watch drying in the certainty that I\u2019ll find it more exciting than this stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n On the one hand, I know what you mean; on the other, I think that\u2019s harsh, and refer you to Richard Krajicek v MaliVai Washington in the 1996 final \u2013 for example. I agree we could use more jeopardy and finesse, but the skill and intensity are hard to argue with.<\/p>\n Richard Krajicek v MaliVai Washington. What wonderfully tedious days. Photograph: Professional Sport\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a013.56 EDT<\/p>\n *Sinner (7)6-7 7-6(2) 2-1 Zverev Another straightforward hold for Sinner, who\u2019s hit a level beyond where Zverev can go. He\u2019s hitting it more cleanly now, and if he keeps hittng deep, I don\u2019t see how he can lose.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Sinner (7)6-7 7-6(2) 1-1 Zverev* Yeah, Zverev\u2019s slipping and he knows it, a poor forehand hitting the net and the body language which follows showing waning believe. Gosh, and Sinner then nails a return, cleaning it up with the a forehand for 0-30 and, in control of the next rally \u2026 makes the peculiar decision to hit a drop, which lands in the net; might that cost him his momentum? Next point, he\u2019s again bossing it, until a forehand lands just wide of the sideline, an ace for 40-30 follows, then a service winner gives Zverev the boost his visibly needed. That\u2019s a major missed opportunity for Sinner but, if he keeps playing as he is, others will surely follow.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n *Sinner (7)6-7 7-6(2) 1-0 Zverev It\u2019s taken a while, but Sinner\u2019s into his work now just as Zverev\u2019s is slipping; I can\u2019t quite decide if the former prompted or is a consequence of the latter; can it somehow be both? He holds to 15, and don\u2019t be surprised if he breaks immediately.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Sinner nips off court, letting Zverev stew, and if he maintains that level and approach, I can\u2019t see how he loses \u2013 especially as I don\u2019t think Zverev can play as well as he has been for the entirety of a five-setter.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Jannik Sinner (1) takes the second set against Alexander Zverev 7-6(2) to level the match at one set all<\/p>\n Sinner can hit a level Zverev can\u2019t; that was it, right there.<\/p>\n Jannik Sinner with a near-perfect tiebreak to level the match. Photograph: Henry Nicholls\/AFP\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a013.25 EDT<\/p>\n Sinner (7)6-7 6-6 Zverev 6-2) Excellent work from Sinner, unleashing from the back to dispatch a forehand winner but, more importantly, he might be starting to read the Zverev serve; he raises four set points, and is this a takeover?<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a013.25 EDT<\/p>\n Sinner (7)6-7 6-6 Zverev (5-2) In comms, Andre reckons the sound off Sinner\u2019s racket was more aggressive than previously, Zverev nets a forehand and, at 4-0, he\u2019s running away with this. A lob, though, then falls fractionally long, but it was a beautiful effort on the stretch \u2013 he\u2019s starting to feel himself, I think \u2013 and I wonder if we\u2019re watching a momentum shift. No sooner have I typed that, though, than an error returns one of the two mini-breaks \u2013 admittedly after a fine return created the right environment \u2013 before a serve out wide takes Sinner to within two points of parity.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Sinner (7)6-7 6-6 Zverev (3-0) Sinner lands a decent return near the line and Zverev larrups long, ceding the immediate mini-break, then plays another decent point, both players hitting perilously close to the line; 2-0, then a bounce-smash makes 3-0.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n *Sinner (7)6-7 6-6 Zverev Oh! Sinner approaches with a cross-courter, always a danger, then doesn\u2019t do enough with his volley. But Zverev is still way back; no matter: he astonishes a forehand winner down the line, the shot of the match so far, and at 0-15, he\u2019s interested. Gosh, and he looks to have nailed another winner next point, only to discover he\u2019s 6mm long, not something said of him before, then nets a volley; 30-15. A service winner follows, the power and accuracy under pressure impressive from both men. Zverev then goes wide on the backhand, and here comes our second straight breaker \u2013 for which u\u2019d have him as favourite, given his more enterprising approach.<\/p>\n Photograph: The GuardianShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a013.19 EDT<\/p>\n Sinner (7)6-7 5-6 Zverev* Up 30-0, Zverev goes long on the forehand \u2026 then wide on the serve, a 136mph serve detonated. A service winner follows, and he guarantees himself a second-set tiebreak, as we move in on Edberg who, in 1991, lost a semi to Michael Stich 6-4 6-7 6-7 6-7; Stich then beat Becker in the final, becoming the last German man to win this competition.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n *Sinner (7)6-7 5-5 Zverev It\u2019s notable that Zverev has never hit this well or with this conviction on grass, and yet he still can\u2019t near breaking the Sinner serve; Sinner, on the other hand, has levels in him that he can\u2019t quite contact. And at 30-0, he does all the hard work to win a net-exchange, only to whip a forehand wide then, at 40-15, skips in to put away another, only to hit the net. That is not behaviour we expect from one of the most precise thwackers we\u2019ve ever seen \u2026 ahahahahaha, so of course he follows it with an ace, his 12th of the contest.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Sinner (7)6-7 4-5 Zverev* So far, Zverev\u2019s done really well to stay composed and stick to his plan, but might that change as he gets closer to victory? He looks set to hold at 40-15, then leaves a ball short in mid-court, not something he\u2019s done much of today, and Sinner can barely get at it quickly enough, sprinting in to disburse a forehand winner. So Zverev jazzes an ace down the T, and this is pretty much as well as he can play.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n *Sinner (7)6-7 4-4 Zverev Sinner holds to 15 and this is looking like another set needing a breaker. Meantime, I\u2019m wondering what his gameplan is, because he doesn\u2019t seem to be targeting Zverev in any particular way.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a012.56 EDT<\/p>\n Sinner (7)6-7 3-4 Zverev* Somehow, a backhand get keeps Sinner in the point and makes 0-15, but though he then does brilliantly to stop in a later rally, both men spurning opportunities to win it, he can\u2019t control his final volley, which flies into the net; 40-15. Gosh, and another murderous forehand secures the hold; so far, it\u2019s Zverev seizing and holding the initiative, the better man from the back as we arrive at the business end of set two.<\/p>\n Photograph: Tom Jenkins\/The GuardianShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a013.06 EDT<\/p>\n *Sinner (7)6-7 3-3 Zverev Zverev uses the phone only he\u2019s allowed to take on court to check his insulin situation \u2013 he\u2019s diabetic \u2013 then, at 15-0, Sinner sends down a double, and at 30-15, Zverev sends a backhand into the tape \u2026 which clambers over and dies. But he can\u2019t take advantage of his good fortune, whacking a second-serve return into the net \u2013 a missed opportunity yet also a good sign, attacking options still being taken then, the ball slammed at him when he\u2019s at net, he improvises a a volley to level up the second set. There\u2019s nary a blue Rizla between these two.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Sinner (7)6-7 2-3 Zverev* Consecutive inside-out forehands give Zverev 30-0; this is the best I\u2019ve seen him hit off that wing. But at 40-15 and after Sinner somehow sends back a decent return, he slaps a backhand wide \u2026 before finishing the point at the net.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n *Sinner (7)6-7 2-2 Zverev Better from Sinner, a huge forehand winner making 15-0 \u2013 he\u2019s got to let it rip because so far, he\u2019s losing the battle on that wing to a man doing exactly that. Of course, it\u2019s also possible Zverev cant sustain the quality on that wing but, in the meantime, an ace takes us to 40-0, and from there, the hold is secured.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Sinner (7)6-7 1-2 Zverev* That Zverev sealed the first set with a forehand is telling; so far, one of his main weaknesses has been a strength, and he holds to love. He\u2019s playing very well \u2013 for the third match in a row.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n *Sinner (7)6-7 1-1 Zverev At 15-all, Zverev again takes the initiative, a backhand down the line eliciting the error, but a second serve and volley is good enough for 30-all. An ace out wide then raises game point, but a flat forehand cross takes us to deuce and again, it\u2019s Zverev unleashing the more destructive weapons; Sinner isn\u2019t hitting as confidently. He does, though, close out in short order but, as this set develops, if he can\u2019t break the pressure on him will only increase, in the knowledge he can\u2019t afford to go down two sets against so destructive a server.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Sinner (7)6-7 0-1 Zverev* Will Sinner consider a rethink? We know Zverev is committed to attack because he has, whereas the champ has been a little more passive, waiting rather than unloading. But a fantastic cross-court pass gives him 15-all \u2026 then a drop makes 30-all following an ace down the T, before a forehand slice waved into the net brings us to deuce. I\u2019d expect Sinner to attack here \u2026 if he can \u2026 and he sort of can, a service winner followed by a backhand winner, inside out to the corner. From there, though, Zverev secures the hold with an ace down the T and, on the plus side for him, he\u2019s playing almost as well as he can; but, on the minus, it\u2019s good enough only for a narrow lead, whereas Sinner has plenty of room for improvement so, if he manages to get better, should be able to take over.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Alexander Zverev (2) wins the first set against Jannik Sinner (1) 7-6(7)<\/p>\n NOW THEN! Out of very little, Zverev smites an inside-out forehand to the corner, roars with delight, and that\u2019s the lead he knows he needs. There wasn\u2019t much in the set, but if there was an aggressor, it was he, and on the balance of play deserves the advantage.<\/p>\n Alex Zverev celebrates winning the first set. Photograph: Tom Jenkins\/The GuardianShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a013.13 EDT<\/p>\n Sinner 6-6 Zverev (7-8) So Zverev slams an ace out wide, a first serve landed for the 11th time in a row in this breaker, ridiculous behaviour, and though Sinner does his best to stick in the next point, further calm thwacking means that, at 8-7, the German has a second set point, neither man yet to manage a mini-break.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Sinner 6-6 Zverev (7-6) Sinner sticks in the point, sprinting and sliding then, offered a ball which sits up, this might be the key point of the set and, when we look back, the match \u2026 but he swats a backhand wide. Set point Zverev \u2026 confiscated with some huge hits from the back. And at 6-6, an ace down the T means it\u2019s now Sinner on the verge of going ahead.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a012.14 EDT<\/p>\n Sinner 6-6 Zverev (5-4) Now two more holds for Zverev, the second with a monstrous ace, and this is getting tense now, the set and perhaps the match likely to be decided by the odd point. If Sinner can get a lead, especially given how the match has gone so far, he’ll be very hard to stop, and his seventh ace gives him 5-4, the intensity intensifying.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Sinner 6-6 Zverev (3-2) Sinner plants a forehand on to the sideline for 1-0 but, just as he\u2019s wresting control of the next point, Zverev unleashes on a line forehand, again taking a risk \u2013 the kind he might not\u2019ve done even six weeks ago. And again, it\u2019s the Italian who looks the stronger in the next rally \u2026 and though he lands an inside-out forehand wide, the message is clear. An ace follows, then a service-winner, and Sinner leads 3-2, suddenly playing the better, more authoritative tennis.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Sinner 6-6 Zverev* Here comes the one like Jannik, successive. concussive forehands unloaded for 0-15. But Zverev, probably the player looking to take more risks and force the issue, makes 15-all, then rams an ace down the T; 30-15. Another service winner follows, then a wrong-footing backhand means we go to a tiebreaker, and the German will, I reckon, be feeling pretty good about the set (of tennis) he\u2019s just played.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n *Sinner 6-5 Zverev Just as I\u2019m grousing that this match is missing a bit of craft, Sinner plays a lovely stooping volley for 30-0, but it remains the case, much more power than finesse on display. The game is secured with another ace, his sixth, and he guarantees himself at least a tiebreaker in this set; how will Zverev handle the pressure?<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Sinner 5-5 Zverev* At 15-0, Sinner sends Zverev out wide with a forehand approach \u2026 then watches as it\u2019s lasered back pst him, down the line. An ace then follows for 40-0, and though a framed return catches the tape and dies, more forehand violence secures another holds. Both men are serving well, but Sinner\u2019s general play has much room for improvement.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n *Sinner 5-4 Zverev A service winner makes 15-0, but at 30-all, some pressure. In comms, Andre notes Sinner isn\u2019t hitting the ball as cleanly as against Djokovic \u2013 to which I\u2019ll add it was the only match he\u2019s done that in this competition. Of course, the then annihilates an inside-out forehand for 40-30, Zverev overhits one going cross, and he must now serve to stay in the set.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.55 EDT<\/p>\n Sinner 4-4 Zverev* So far, Sinner has made no impression on the Zverev serve, and even facing a second delivery, a 122mph-er is too good. But Zverev then strays wide \u2026 so of course retorts by sending down a brute \u2026 then an ace, his first of the match. He can\u2019t though, close out by meeting a drop with a drop, Sinner chasing it down and flicking a winner across the face of the net, then a hooked forehand once he\u2019s almost out of the point falls wide, taking us to deuce. Sniff for Sinner, and a double follows, donating his first break point of the match, and Zverev will fear this going as it often does, the contest close until it isn\u2019t. But the then champ frames a forehand once in the rally, a significant oversight, ands from there, a huge hold is secured.<\/p>\n Photograph: Ella Ling\/ShutterstockShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a012.13 EDT<\/p>\n *Sinner 4-3 Zverev A leaping forehand winner makes 30-0 and an ace out wide follows, but consecutive backhand errors give Sinner something about which to think. So he ponders really hard, considering all his options, then serves big, flogs a backhand, and Zverev nets to hand over the hold.<\/p>\n Alexander Zverev reacts against Italy’s Jannik Sinner Photograph: Kirill Kudryavtsev\/AFP\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.52 EDT<\/p>\n Sinner 3-3 Zverev* So far, this is a very serve-heavy contest, not of the Sampras-Ivanisevic variety because these guys like to stay back, but we\u2019re not seeing many rallies. Zverev holds to love, but mifght scoreboard pressure soo intervene?<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n *Sinner 3-2 Zverev Now then. An error from Sinner gives Zverev 0-15, then the German finds a terrific angle as they go backhand to backhand and corner to corner; 0-30. Naturally, an ace follows, the first of four straight points and that\u2019s now 68 consecutive service games he\u2019s won against Zverev.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Sinner 2-2 Zverev* So far, neither player has managed the merest sniff on return, but when Zverev serves powerfully but not so accurately, Sinner leaps into the rally and the error follows. But it\u2019s soon 30-15, the German hammering a telling serve down the middle, and though he doesn\u2019t do enough with a volley \u2013 his hands remain heavy \u2013 he\u2019s in danger. By Sinner\u2019s riposte is wide, raising game point \u2026 but as they unload from the back next rally, his strikers are the purer and he makes 40-30, but doesn\u2019t do enough attacking a second serve, so Zverev punishes him with an inside-out forehand winner. Both players are now loose, but the match remains tight.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n *Sinner 2-1 Zverev Zverev is looking to take it on and though he finds himself down 30-0, this is a good sign for him \u2013 he can\u2019t win by playing tentatively, Sinner is much too precise and consistent for that. A point he proves at 40-0, hauling his man to the net then leaving him stranded with a lob.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Sinner 1-1 Zverev* So how are Zverev\u2019s nerves? Well, he begins with a service winner down the T, a second goes unreturned, and a third, his fastest serve of the championship at 141mph, takes him to 40-0. And from there, he secures a love hold; I daresay we\u2019ll see a tiebreaker or two today.<\/p>\n Photograph: Marko \u0110urica\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.25 EDT<\/p>\n *Sinner 1-0 Zverev At 15-0, our first long rally, Sinner the dominant power util Zverev ups the pace on the forehand \u2026 then tries a drop, winning the ensuing net exchange. That he won the point is a good sign, but how he one it is what\u2019s really important, hitting harder from the back then taking initiative to change it up; impressive work. And when Sinner swipes a backhand wide, he has 15-30 \u2026 for as long at it takes for an ace to shriek by, then a service winner raises game point, the champ now into it, and when a return goes long, he secures the hold.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Jannik Sinner to serve, ready \u2026 play.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Zverev will, I think, have to find a way of putting Sinner on his bike, because if he\u2019s allowed to plant feet, he\u2019s almost impossible to beat thanks to the accuracy of his hitting, especially on the forehand. Thing is, I\u2019m not sure he has the hands or variety to do it \u2013 can he slice effectively, and can he get himself to the net?<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Zverev wins the toss and elects to receive. I imagine he wants a game to play himself into comfort before facing the pressure of holding, which makes sense \u2013 this is his first Wimbledon<\/a> final and doubtless he\u2019s feeling it. Sinner will, I\u2019m sure, be happy to get us going.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Share<\/a>Share<\/a><\/p>\n Our players come down the stairs and out on to Centre Court. It looks beautiful out there.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n I\u2019m pleased to report that the coolest man in the post-Borg era , Stefan Edberg, is in situ; I\u2019m even more pleased to report that Raye is in the row behind. I\u2019d very much like for them to become friends.<\/p>\n Photograph: Clive Brunskill\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Sinner leads the head-to-head 10-4 but has won the last nine matches, breaking Zverev 24 times to one. However, he\u2019s yet to face Zverev playing with the freedom of a grand slam champion, nor in the form he\u2019s in now.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Pat Cash reckons this is the slowest Wimbledon<\/a> he\u2019s seen but isn\u2019t sure if the court, the balls, or both. I think that\u2019ll help Sinner, because he\u2019s brilliant at hitting when he has time \u2013 I can\u2019t think of many players more consistent in that regard \u2013 and he\u2019s also better at hitting spots on serve, whereas Zverev gives himself greater margin for error, relying more heavily on power and speed.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n That French Open situation had an effect on Sinner, I think. Before it, he looked \u2013 and, I bet, felt \u2013 impregnable. He arrived at Roland-Garros having won 29 matches in a row, but his body packing up on him will have given him some doubts and the rest of the tour some hope. It doesn\u2019t mean there are weaknesses in his game, but it has affected his fluency and aura.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n So what of our match? Zverev has played really well in his last two matches, the best I\u2019ve ever seen him play on grass, and his on-court confidence is higher than ever before. His serve and backhand are always sensational, but his forehand is much improved, likewise his volleying; if he maintains he level, he\u2019s got a chance.<\/p>\n Sinner, though, is just the better player \u2013 by a way \u2013 and, after a forcing his way to early wins, including coming from 2-1 down in round one, he turned it on in the semi, wiping Djokovic off the court. He has no weaknesses, so beating him is a problem: Zverev will have to serve lights out, hope the match goes long, and Sinner\u2019s body lets him down. Otherwise, the consistency of the Italian\u2019s hitting makes him an overwhelming favourite.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Mazal tov dept: regular readers will be familiar with Coach Calv Betton, our resident expert. Well, yesterday, Calv\u2019s charge Henry Patten won his second men\u2019s doubles title with his partner Harri Heliovvara. I can assure you it couldn\u2019t happen to three nicer lads.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Also going on:<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Preamble<\/p>\n Can we ever heal our deepest wounds? For many of us, that\u2019s a question we barely acknowledge, the pain of childhood and thereafter buried because we have neither time nor confidence nor inclination to engage. Instead, it gnaws at our convictions, integrity and identity, stopping us from connecting to those closest to us and also to ourselves.<\/p>\n Sport, though, is not like that: rather, those wounds are dangled in faces, often in public, becoming the subject of debate, conjecture and gags. It\u2019s fair to say, say, that Jimmy White has an inkling he never became world snooker champion, just as Chris Waddle well recalls chriswaddling his penalty an acre or so over the bar when England lost to Germany in the semi-final of the 1990 World Cup.<\/p>\n There is, though, an upside to this nose-rubbing, at least while a career remains in progress: the opportunity to resolve the situation with the accordant glory compounded by the preceding failure. So, though interviewers tend not to remind us of that time we pulled down our pants as well as our trousers when changing for our first-ever PE lesson, or called our teacher Mum, or a teacher stomped our harmonica to pieces with her high heels in front of the class, or our parents told our friends we were showing off because we were overtired, or we lit the filter of a cigarette while chatting up a girl, or our friends dressed up in our parents\u2019 clothes, or our parents wrote to our friends asking them to stop distracting us from our A-level revision, or we were told, emphatically, by people charged with our safety, that we were defective and shameful in various ways and so on and so on, we\u2019re stuck with those things. We can process and absorb, but can never eradicate or forget.<\/p>\n In the 2025 Australian Open final, Jannik Sinner destroyed Alexander Zverev. It wasn\u2019t Zverev\u2019s first such defeat \u2013 in 2020, he lost the US Open final to Dominic Thiem from two sets up and, in 2024, was pipped in a five-set French Open final by Carlos Alcaraz. But that match in Melbourne was the first time he\u2019d been outclassed \u2013 and, for extra agony, by a younger man who was still improving, with two of the previous three majors claied by an even younger one still. \u201cI\u2019m just not good enough\u201d was Zverev\u2019s summation of events, his desolation palpable.<\/p>\n But the thing about sport is that it offers constant scope for professional redemption and, though things seemed hopeless at the time, Zverev was soon offered a shot at it. Before this year\u2019s Roland-Garros, he knew Alcaraz would be absent injured so, when Sinner\u2019s body gave out early in the competition, he was presented with the opportunity of a lifetime. And, though he made hard work of it, he got it done, just about, the accolade he feared he\u2019d never achieve his forever.<\/p>\n Yet he still knows the truth: in order to get what he wanted, he needed circumstances to conspire in his favour. There\u2019s no asterisk in the record books, but you can be sure there\u2019s one in his mind, just as there is in ours: we could all win a big pot if all the players better than us weren\u2019t involved.<\/p>\n