Two sets: On Wimbledon 2026

When Jannik Sinner arrived at Wimbledon , there were questions aplenty. They hinged on the defeat he suffered at the French Open, where he wilted in the second round under the extreme Paris heat despite being two sets and 5-1 up. When he needed five sets to get past the first round at the All England Club, the intrigue about his physical health and state of tennis deepened. None of his achievements in the 52 weeks preceding Wimbledon — 76 wins against just six losses, and 10 titles — seemed to matter. But with two superlative performances, against Novak Djokovic in the semifinal and Alexander Zverev in the final , the World No. 1 silenced the doubters in the best possible fashion. Djokovic and Zverev were his two biggest threats, with the former a seven-time winner at SW19 and the latter the reigning Roland-Garros champion. But the Italian’s top-notch serving and baseline consistency fetched him his second straight Wimbledon and fifth Major title. The success was also Sinner’s tenth consecutive victory over Zverev. But even in defeat, the German can hold his head high. Since the start of 2024, men’s tennis has largely been a cat-and-mouse game between Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Zverev’s potential entry as the distinguished third will make the sport healthier.