Champion Sinner wary of Zverev before Wimbledon final

By Harry Poole BBC Sport writer at Wimbledon Recent form indicates Jannik Sinner should feel confident about defending his Wimbledon crown, yet the current Alexander Zverev presents a distinct challenge. World No. 1 Sinner is chasing to become only the tenth man in the Open era to hold the men’s singles trophy at the All England Club, having beaten Carlos Alcaraz last summer to claim his first title there. The 24‑year‑old Italian has won each of his last nine encounters with Zverev, dropping not a set in the last six of those meetings. Nevertheless, Sinner respects the threat Zverev now poses after the German ended his long wait for a maiden Grand Slam crown at the previous month’s French Open. "Whatever happened in the past between me and him, it happened. In between, he won a Grand Slam in Paris, which gave him a lot of confidence," Sinner said. "He is simply a tough opponent to play against. He was before, but now even more. He's very relaxed on court at the moment. "I will try to do the best I can but it's going to be very, very tough - very different than all the other matches we have played." For a long time it seemed Zverev might finish his career as the best male player never to capture a major trophy. The 29‑year‑old avoided that label by defeating Italy’s Flavio Cobolli in the Roland Garros final – his 41st appearance at a major. "I stay focused. I stay hungry. I want more. I want to continue playing at the highest level and continue winning. On Sunday I have another big chance," said Zverev. "Once you win a major you know how to do it and you feel like you can do it again. "You have this feeling inside of you." Zverev and Sinner rank as the tour’s two most in‑form players this season; they are the only athletes to have logged 40 or more match wins in 2026, a fact that will push Zverev to world No. 2 when the updated rankings appear on Monday. Sinner is targeting a fifth major after his commanding performance that halted Novak Djokovic’s bid for a historic 25th title on Friday. The Italian dismantled Djokovic with ruthless efficiency, overcoming the player many expected to be his greatest obstacle in straight sets. Sinner arrived at Wimbledon without having played since his shocking early exit at the French Open, where he faded physically in the heat and fell to Argentine Juan Manuel Cerundolo despite holding a two‑set lead and a 5‑1 advantage in the third. Just as he rebounded after his crushing loss to Alcaraz in last year’s French Open final, Sinner has again turned adversity into opportunity, now poised on the brink of glory. Since the start of the 2024 season he has reached seven Grand Slam finals and leads the circuit for most singles titles in 2026, having swept all five Masters 1000 events in another stellar campaign. In the semi‑finals Zverev ended British wildcard Arthur Fery’s run with a fourth straight‑set win in his last five matches, building momentum toward his first Wimbledon crown. Having halted a streak of nine Grand Slam tournaments won by either Sinner or Alcaraz with his triumph at Roland Garros, Zverev now aims to become the first man in the Open era to claim a second major singles title immediately after his first. Yet Zverev has never captured a tour‑level grass‑court trophy and would join just three other players in the Open era to win their maiden major at Wimbledon. This tournament marks Zverev’s least successful Grand Slam showing by matches won; it remained the sole major where he failed to reach the final after a first‑round defeat the previous year. Sinner’s winning streak over Zverev stretches back to 2023, when the German prevailed in five sets during the US Open fourth round. Their upcoming clash will be the pair’s first meeting at Wimbledon and on grass, although Sinner prevailed in their most recent major final encounter at last year’s Australian Open. Both competitors have advanced through the early rounds on the strength of powerful serving, a level they must maintain if they hope to prevail. Each has held serve in more than 90 % of their service games, but Sinner has converted 85 % of points on his first serve and out‑aced Zverev 113 to 87. Zverev’s serve rating of 9.2 exceeds Sinner’s 8.7 for the Championships, and he recorded the highest average serve speeds – 133 mph on his first delivery and 118 mph on the second. Nonetheless, he faces the player