Alcaraz targets Wimbledon three-peat in final against Sinner

Al Jazeera

2 days ago

Who: Carlos Alcaraz vs Jannik Sinner
What: Wimbledon 2025 men's singles final
Where: Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom
When: Sunday, July 13, starting at not before 4pm local (15:00 GMT)
How to follow: We'll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 1:30pm local (12:30 GMT) in advance of our live text commentary stream.
For Italy's Jannik Sinner, Sunday's Wimbledon final offers a chance of redemption; for Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, it is an opportunity to join an elite club of men who have won the title three years in succession.
There are many other plot lines, but above all, the showdown will help to cement a rivalry that could dominate tennis for a decade.
Al Jazeera Sport takes a look at the final.
Who did Alcaraz and Sinner beat in their semifinals?
The Spaniard overcame American Taylor Fritz in a four-set win in the first semifinal on Friday.
Sinner then overcame Serbia's Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the second last-four clash.
When did Alcaraz and Sinner last meet?
The pair met in a mesmeric clash last month in the longest-ever French Open final. The match, which 22-year-old Alcaraz won at Roland-Garros, is being touted as one of the greatest of all time.
Between them, Alcaraz and Sinner, a year older than his Spanish opponent, have shared the last six Grand Slam titles.
What happened in the French Open final between Alcaraz and Sinner?
The Spaniard came back from two sets down and saved three match points on his way to a fifth Grand Slam title, in the process taking his head-to-head record over Sinner to 8-4, including winning all of the last four.
It was a painful defeat for world number one Sinner, but he has not had to wait long to try to set the record straight.
2 - Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are just the second pair in the Open Era to meet in the Men's Singles final at Wimbledon and Roland Garros in a season, after Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal (2006-08). Rivalry. #Wimbledon | @Wimbledon @atptour @ATPMediaInfo pic.twitter.com/NsfMc7Tw2Y
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) July 11, 2025
What titles has Sinner won?
Sinner's three Grand Slam titles have all come on hard courts, two in Melbourne and one in New York.
What titles has Alcaraz won?
Alcaraz's major titles have come on all the sport's surfaces, suggesting a more complete game.
The Spaniard, who is on a 24-match winning streak, has claimed both the Wimbledon and French Open titles twice, while also lifting the winner's trophy at the US Open.
What chance does Sinner have against Alcaraz on grass?
Sinner's performances against Ben Shelton in the quarters and Djokovic in the semis show just how suited his game is to grass.
His laser-like ground strokes, powerful serve and his ability to turn defence into attack in the blink of an eye were all on display, and Alcaraz knows he faces a challenge every bit as tough as Roland-Garros on Centre Court on Sunday.
Have Alcaraz and Sinner met on grass before?
The only other time they have met on grass was at Wimbledon in 2022 when Sinner won their last-16 clash in four sets.
Who else has won a Wimbledon three-peat?
Should Alcaraz prevail, he would join Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Djokovic as the only men to win the Wimbledon title three years in a row, and he would also surpass Nadal's two Wimbledon crowns.
How have Alcaraz and Sinner fared at Wimbledon 2025
Alcaraz flirted with a shock first-round defeat against Italian Fabio Fognini, needing five sets. Sinner trailed by two sets against Grigor Dimitrov in the fourth round after hurting his elbow, but was given a reprieve when the Bulgarian retired injured.
Sinner, the third Italian to reach a Wimbledon singles final after Matteo Berrettini in 2021 and Jasmine Paolini last year, has looked unhindered by his elbow despite wearing a compression sleeve on his right arm in his last two matches.
'I think we are handling this small problem at the moment very well,' he said.
Stat attack – Alcaraz
Alcaraz, at 22 years 56 days, has become the third-youngest player in the Open Era to reach consecutive men's singles finals at both Wimbledon and Roland Garros, after Bjorn Borg and Rafael Nadal (22 years 20 days).
Stat attack – Sinner
Only three players in the Open Era have conceded fewer games en route to a men's singles final at Wimbledon than Sinner (56) – Roger Federer (52, 2006), Jimmy Connors (54, 1975) and John McEnroe (54, 1982).
How much will the Wimbledon men's singles winner be paid?
This year's winner will take home $4.05m, and the runner-up will leave with $2.05m. Last year's prize was $3.64m.
What time does the men's singles final start?
The start time for the final on Sunday will be fluid depending on the duration of matches earlier in the day.
The organisers, however, issued the advisory that the match will not start before 4pm at Wimbledon (15:00 GMT).