At Wimbledon, dignity in victory and defeat told a deeper story
Jannik Sinner's maiden Wimbledon crown was equally moving, not only for the precision of his play or his athletic supremacy — though his backhand, especially, sang — but for what it revealed about growth. Weeks earlier, at Roland Garros, the Italian had returned from a three-month doping ban and lost the final — from three championship points — to the very opponent he now outplayed. Carlos Alcaraz came into the Wimbledon final on a career-best 24-match winning streak, but Sinner brought something harder to measure: The quiet fire of redemption. Only after the euphoria of his achievement had settled in would he climb into his box, fold into his family's arms, and weep.
Sport, at its most moving, isn't just about mastery, it is about faith. After records have been broken and personal milestones achieved, it is about what it costs to keep coming back, year after year, not always as the favourite, not always whole, but because of the stubborn hope that circumstances change, one dream at a time. At this year's Wimbledon, it was this very spirit — decent, dignified, defiant — that found room to breathe.
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India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
Prince George's ‘angry face' at Wimbledon final goes viral as Alcaraz loses to Sinner
Carlos Alcaraz may have lost the Wimbledon final, but it was Prince George's reaction from the Royal Box that truly stole the fans had a hard Sunday evening on July 13 as Spanish sensation Carlos Alcaraz's Wimbledon streak ended with a defeat at the hands of Italy's Jannik Sinner. But as the cameras panned across Centre Court, it wasn't just Alcaraz's fans showing signs of George, seated with his family in the Royal Box, looked visibly unimpressed. Wearing a sharp navy suit and tie, the 11-year-old royal was seen making what many described as an 'angry face,' with hands dramatically stretched in front of him as Alcaraz slipped out of the game. An X user shared a photo of the young royal with the cheeky caption: 'Prince George had some money on Alcaraz.'Take a look at the post here: The post soon picked up steam, drawing hundreds of responses from users who were thoroughly amused by George's reaction.'Prince George cracks me up,' a user said. 'I love how mad he looks,' added another. A user even called for the image to be archived in history books, while one said, 'Little bro is trying hard to remember to act like a future king and not show his true feelings. 10/10.'Others pointed out that this isn't Prince George's first time drawing attention for his expressions. From looking grumpy at previous Wimbledon matches to appearing confused during royal events, his facial reactions have become a thing of their own over the years.'It's like he's always trying to aura farm whenever there's a camera close by, it's cute,' one of the users said. See the comments here: Prince George was joined by his parents, Prince William and Kate Middleton, and younger sister, Princess Middleton also made headlines a day earlier when she received a standing ovation upon entering the Royal Box for the women's singles final on July 12, one of her rare public appearances this Jannik Sinner's win against Alcaraz was no small feat. The 23-year-old Italian ended Alcaraz's 20-match winning streak at Wimbledon and halted what could have been his third straight title at the tournament. Heading into the final, the odds were against Sinner, who had lost to Alcaraz five times in a row since 2023. Still, Sinner pushed through and emerged victorious on Centre Court.- Ends
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Tennis' newest mentalist: Jannik Sinner rises from Paris agony to Wimbledon glory
Jannik Sinner of Italy (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) London: How do you, when beaten to the ground, bruised and busted, get back on your feet? Jannik Sinner knows. The 23-year-old wore his pain plainly in Paris, seated at his court side space, having finished at the wrong end of the five-hour 29-minute epic against Carlos Alcaraz. Five weeks later, on a dazzling Sunday in July, he punctuated a five-match losing streak against his arch nemesis, and brought a rivalry to life on Wimbledon 's lawns. No tennis player has crossed the channel with greater purpose than Sinner, turning the Paris heartbreak to a memorable hurrah, his fourth Major title, and first in this leafy London suburb. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! The mental miles the 23-year-old Italian covered in the five weeks must anoint him as the sport's newest mentalist. On the wall of the players' entrance to Centre Court are the words from If , a Rudyard Kipling poem: 'If you can meet with triumph and disaster/ And treat those two impostors just the same.' In terms of expression, Sinner doesn't give much away, no passionate celebration like Alcaraz on Paris' red clay, just a smile that sparked his eyes. The turnaround was scripted during a stretch that features a diabolic switch of surfaces, from stubborn red clay to slick grass. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giá vàng đang tăng mạnh trong năm 2025 — Các nhà giao dịch thông minh đã tham gia IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo It was when the Italian picked himself up, and in washing away the stains of squandering three successive match points, he underlined the size of his fight. There were big questions surrounding Sinner's morale coming into Wimbledon. 'This is the part I'm the proudest of because it has not been easy,' said Sinner, who tried to take positives from his loss in Paris. 'It's much better that you lose a Grand Slam final that way than someone kills you, you make two games.' The Italian's coaches — Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi — discussed Roland Garros threadbare with Sinner for about 24 hours after the final but didn't bring it up again thereafter. 'For us it was important to move forward as quickly as possible,' Cahill said. 'The week leading to Wimbledon was the best practice week we've ever had as far as attitude and form. We knew we had something special coming in. We knew that he had already put Roland Garros behind him. He was playing with real purpose. You could see that from the first match that he played, he wasn't carrying any baggage from Roland Garros.' Following his win on Sunday, the world No. 1 leaves London with a hefty 3,430-point lead over Alcaraz. Sinner's struggles of the last six months — when he served a three-month doping ban (February to May) for testing positive for anabolic agent clostebol — included the reactions of the locker room, most of who weren't supportive of the Italian. A large section of the players thought the four-time Major winner had been treated favourably, add to that the vitriol directed at him on social media, and he was wading through murky waters. The 23-year-old, a methodical creature, turned to work, shrugging the weight off his shoulders. 'We've tried to push at every practice session, I was struggling at times mentally,' Sinner explained. 'Maybe even more in practice sessions because I feel when I play the match, I can switch off and just play.' Sinner's win on Sunday was significant as much for himself as for this young rivalry. While the Italian is obviously too good a player to never beat the Spaniard again, the five successive losses across a near two-year stretch was beginning to gnaw. Sinner said, 'When you lose several times against someone, it's not easy.' Cahill pinned Sinner's victory to the details. 'You saw a bit more energy from him in the big moments, a bit more focus to knuckle down and make sure that when he had his nose in front, he kept on closing the door against Carlos,' the Aussie said. Vagnozzi added, 'He was brave today, in the important moments he was really brave.' Alcaraz, the charismatic Spaniard, now leads the rivalry 8-5, but these numbers become irrelevant on the court where the margins are infinitesimal. Also, Sinner and Alcaraz are a level above the rest of the field. 'Our level is really high, we don't watch a level like this when other players are playing against each other,' Alcaraz said. 'This rivalry is becoming better and better. We're building a really great rivalry, we're playing in the finals of Grand Slams, Masters, the best tournaments in the world. It's going to get better and better.' That's the bargain the Italian spent a little over three hours on Sunday signing on. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
The Hindu
5 hours ago
- The Hindu
Luka Modric signs with AC Milan after 13 seasons at Real Madrid
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