WIMBLEDON/WASHINGTON, July 13, 2025 (by Michael Dickens)
Between World No. 1 Jannik Sinner and World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, they have won the last six Grand Slam events – three each. The 23-year-old Italian has won the last two Australian Open titles and last year’s US Open, while the 22-year-old Spaniard has lifted the past two Roland-Garros trophies and is the defending Wimbledon champion. One of them will win The Championships title Sunday, so the streak will grow to seven straight Grand Slams.
When Sinner and Alcaraz walk out together on Centre Court at 4 o’clock sharp, Alcaraz will be bidding to become just the fifth player in the Open Era to win three consecutive Wimbledon men’s singles titles – after Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, whom Sinner beat in Friday’s semifinals. Alcaraz is also trying to join Borg as just the second player in the Open Era to win back-to-back men’s singles titles at Roland-Garros and Wimbledon in consecutive years. He brings a 24-match winning streak into the final and has won his last 20 consecutive matches at Wimbledon going back to the start of his 2023 run.
Meanwhile, Sinner is aiming to become the first Italian player to win a Wimbledon singles title after runner-up finishes for Matteo Berrettini in 2021 and Jasmine Paolini last year. A victory for Sinner would also be his fourth career Grand Slam title, extending his all-time record for most majors win by an Italian player. By reaching Sunday’s title match at the All England Club, Sinner is the 11th player in the Open Era to reach the men’s singles final at all four Grand Slam tournaments.
And then there were two #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/l3s5hyYxgu
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 11, 2025
Not to be forgotten among all of the tennis history that the Top-2 players in the world are a part of – and playing for – is this: just last month, Alcaraz beat Sinner in an epic five-hour, 29-minute spectacular final at Roland-Garros – the longest men’s final in the clay-court major – 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2), in which Sinner was unable to convert three championship points. It was a popcorn match for the ages. It’s not uncommon for the same two players to be playing a Wimbledon final after competing in the title match at Roland-Garros. Just look back to 2006-08 when Federer and Rafael Nadal competed for the Channel Slam in three straight years.
If this year’s Roland-Garros final is any indicator, Alcaraz and Sinner appear poised to build upon one of the sport’s most compelling rivalries. Time will tell, but Alcaraz and Sinner could have the staying power to stand next to other big tennis rivalries like Borg-McEnroe, Evert-Navratilova, Federer-Nadal and Nadal-Djokovic. After all, they’re both young, athletic and only in their early twenties.
Jannik Sinner has now reached the final of the last four Grand Slams #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/5AWdvdsPgq
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 11, 2025
After Alcaraz defeated No. 5 seed Taylor Fritz of the United States in four sets to reach Sunday’s final, he said: “I can’t be prouder, to be honest. Just really happy to make my third consecutive final here at Wimbledon playing such great tennis. Just really, really happy. I can’t wait for Sunday.”
Alcaraz was asked during his post-match news conference Friday to describe what he and Sinner are accomplishing and how it compares to the era of Roger, Rafa and Novak. He responded: “I think the things we are doing right now are great for tennis. We just fight for, just engage more people to watch tennis. We’re just fighting for tennis to be bigger, as all the tennis players are doing.
“For me, it’s sharing the big tournaments with Jannik. I think it is great. … We are still really young.”
Alcaraz said he would love for his rivalry with Sinner to last for the next five or 10 years at least, ” just to put our rivalry to the same table as those players.”
@carlosalcaraz #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/xmvIOtXs3i
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 11, 2025
After Sinner defeated the seven-time Wimbledon champion Djokovic in straight sets and denied him an opportunity to play for a 25th major title on Sunday, he described his semifinal win in simple terms: “It was a very well-played match from my side. I’m very happy. I’m looking forward to Sunday. So, let’s see.”
Sinner was asked if the Roland-Garros final from five weeks ago still lingers in his mind. He answered with a smile: “I think if it would be a lot in my head, I would not be in the situation to play a final again, I guess.
“I’m very happy to share once again the court with Carlos. It’s going to be difficult, I know that. But I’m looking forward to it, no? I try always to put myself in these kinds of situations what I really love. Sundays on every tournament are very special.
“But this is a question I cannot answer because I think it’s something what you feel before the match and also during the match. …
“But no, it’s different. Different match. I’m looking forward to it.”
The 38-year-old Djokovic, stuck on 24 majors, put it this way in speaking about Sinner and Alcaraz: “We know they’re the dominant force right now.”
A blockbuster showdown awaits
Jannik Sinner will face Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday’s Gentlemen’s Singles Final – and it’s sure to be a brilliant match #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/mMNx9e1RvB
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 11, 2025
Around the All England Club
• Mia Pohankova, a 16-year-old from Slovakia, won the Wimbledon junior girls’ title after defeating 16-year-old Julieta Pareja of the United States, 6-3, 6-1, in 68 minutes on No. 1 Court Saturday.
Pohankova became the second straight junior girls’ champion from Slovakia after Renata Jamrichova won the Wimbledon title last year. Against the No. 6 seed Pareja, Pohankova hit 13 winners, converted six of 10 break points and outpointed her opponent 59-38.
“When I stepped on the court and saw the crowd and the stadium [which] is so big, I was a little bit nervous for the first three games,” Pohankova said afterward, quoted by the Wimbledon website. “I’m just trying to play and I’m trying to do my best, like I did.”
“I’m really emotional now. It is an incredible moment because Renata won last year. [It’s] unbelievable for Slovakian tennis.”
After winning her first professional title at the W75 Bratislava on the ITF World Tennis Tour last October, Pohankova became the fifth Slovakian player to earn a Junior Grand Slam crown.
Mia Pohankova
The Girls’ Singles Champion #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/d36SX95TJm
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 12, 2025
• No. 4 seeds Oskari Paldanius of Finland and Alan Wazny of Poland earned a Channel Slam. After winning the Roland-Garros junior boys’ doubles title last month, they repeated their success at Wimbledon and rallied to beat No. 8 seeds Oliver Bonding of Great Britain and Jagger Leach of the United States, son of Hall of Famer Lindsay Davenport, 5-7, 7-6 (6), 10-5, in 91 minutes on No. 1 Court Saturday.
The Finnish/Polish duo, who saved two match points in the second set, combined to hit five aces and nine winners overall, and outpointed their opponents 88-86. Three of the winners came during the match tie-break.
“It was one of the best tournaments in our doubles career to win Roland-Garros – I would say the best moment of my life,” Paldanius said afterward the victory, quoted by the Wimbledon website. “Now, winning a match where we saved match points, and playing on Court 1, where there was a full crowd supporting, what a level in the match. So, of course, it’s an even better feeling to win it.”
Oskari Paldanius and Alan Wazny are the 2025 Boys’ Doubles Champions
A 5-7, 7-6(6), [10-5] victory over Oliver Bonding and Jagger Leach mean they are the first Boys’ Doubles team to win Roland-Garros and Wimbledon since Andrew Harris and Nick Kyrgios in 2012 #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/tvzgm8hJfx
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 12, 2025
• Three hours prior to the Carlos Alcaraz-Jannik Sinner Gentlemen’s Singles final on Sunday, the Ladies’ Doubles final will take place on Centre Court. It matches No. 4 seeds Hsieh Su-Wei of Taiwan and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia versus No. 8 seeds Veronika Kudermetova of Russia and Elise Mertens of Belgium.
En route to the final, Hsieh, who is a four-time Wimbledon doubles champion – with three different partners – and Ostapenko upset defending champions and No. 1 seeds Katerina Siniakova of Czechia and Taylor Townsend of the United States. Meanwhile, Kudermetova and Mertens won the 2022 WTA Finals and Mertens won the 2022 Wimbledon title with Hsieh.
Sunday’s Wimbledon order of play
By the numbers
Today’s champion will receive £3,000,000 in prize money, while the runner-up will collected £1,520,000. In total, the prize fund for the men’s singles event at the 2025 Wimbledon tournament is £19,414,000.
“Quotable …”
“This is the second consecutive Grand Slam that we are in the final and playing each other, which is great from my side. I believe it’s good for the sport. The more rivalries we have from now on, the better it is, because people want to see young players going against each other.
“I’m happy to be in that position, but let’s see in the future. If we can make that happen for the next three, four years, then people can think about. Let’s see.”
– Jannik Sinner, during his post-match news conference after defeating Novak Djokovic in Friday’s semifinals, describing his rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz and how it compares with the Golden Era of Roger, Rafa and Novak.
