An Alexander Zverev Stumble And A Jannik Sinner Dance

BY JAMES BECK

CHARLESTON, S.C. – – This Wimbledon men’s championship’s final score looked much closer than its final score.

One mere stumble in the third set might have been the difference in the match.

Alexander Zverev had his foot on the pedal chasing a ball behind the baseline when he lost his footage  and hit the grass as Jannik Sinner directed the ball to a soft shot near the other sideline. Zverev quickly grabbed his right knee as Sinner headed to his side.

SINNER COMES TO THE RESCUE

Sinner helped his opponent to his feet, and all of a sudden Zverev’s break point was now a deuce. Two shots later, the tall Italian had jumped ahead, 4-3, in his favor rather than Zverev’s.

The next point was just as wild as Zverev nailed an ace and appeared again ready to even the game score at  4-4 with a double game point. But two shots later, it was deuce and anybody’s game, even though Zverev was still alive in the game with his 130 mph serves. Zverev gained another ad-point, but then double-faulted his edge away. Two points later, Zverev was throwing his racket and looking at a 5-3 deficit in a third set that put Sinner within one set of winning a second straight Wimbledon title.

ZVEREV WILTS WITH SECOND-SET TIEBREAKER

The fourth set went rather quickly after Sinner took a 5-3 lead, and was headed to a 6-7 (7), 7-6 (2), 6-3, 6-4 victory.

Zverev lost it with a second-set tiebreaker in which he won only two points. And for all practical purposes Sinner was in control, at least with those third-set scrambles by Zverev.

The biggest difference appeared to be Zverev’s inability to close important games the last three sets.

NEW YORK’S U.S. OPEN IS NEXT

Maybe things will change when the 2026 Grand Slams end in New York’s U.S. Open.

But right now it looks like there will be another Grand Slam title for the 24-year-old Sinner to add to his now total of five and go into next year with two titles each at three of the Grand Slams, leaving only the French Open without a title.

And, of course, the French has now become the 6-6 Zverev’s kingdom. After all, he’s five years older and three inches taller than Sinner.

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James Beck was the 2003 winner of the USTA National Media Award  for print media. A 1995 MBA graduate of The Citadel, he can be reached at Jamesbecktennis@gmail.com.