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Casablanca – Wimbledon champion Jannik Sinner says men’s tennis “needs” Carlos Alcaraz back on court, while also praising Alexander Zverev’s continued rise after defending his title at the All England Club.
The Italian retained his Wimbledon crown by defeating Zverev 6-7 (7-9), 7-6 (7-2), 6-3, 6-4 in a four-set final that lasted just under four hours.
The victory saw Sinner become the first man since Roger Federer between 2004 and 2007 to win back-to-back Wimbledon titles, while also claiming his fifth Grand Slam trophy.
Reflecting on the current state of the men’s game after the final, Sinner welcomed the growing competition but admitted Alcaraz’s absence has been noticeable.
“Big, big respect to Sascha, because he’s doing something amazing. His game is growing and growing,” Sinner said.
“At the same time, that’s exactly what’s good, because you always have someone who is pushing you to the limit.”
The world number one then turned his attention to Alcaraz, who has been sidelined since April after suffering a wrist injury during the Barcelona Open.
“We hope that Carlos is coming back, as well, because tennis needs him,” Sinner said.
“Having Novak [Djokovic] still around, having all the young players coming, it’s really, really nice.”
Before Zverev captured his maiden Grand Slam title at Roland Garros earlier this year, Sinner and Alcaraz had shared the previous nine major titles between them.
Sinner himself arrived at Wimbledon looking to rebound from a disappointing French Open campaign, where he suffered a shock second-round exit after losing from two sets ahead against Juan Manuel Cerundolo.
The Italian admitted the setback made his Wimbledon triumph even more satisfying.
“For me, this one means a lot because it was a tough one after Paris again,” Sinner said.
Sinner also reserved praise for Zverev, whose run to the Wimbledon final came just weeks after winning his first Grand Slam title in Paris.
Addressing the German after the match, Sinner backed him to continue challenging for the sport’s biggest prizes.
“You reached one of your main goals in winning a grand slam and made it happen in Paris,” he said.
“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.”
“Keep going. I know another goal for you is to become the number one in the world. You are very, very close, so we have to be very careful now.”
