Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will meet in the final of Wimbledon for the first time, just over a month on from their epic French Open final.
The pair treated tennis fans to a blockbuster encounter in June, a five-set match in which Sinner spurned three match point chances before Alcaraz wrapped up the win.
However, the grass courts of Wimbledon present a key tactical conundrum for the players, with the ball tending to move more quickly through the surface and stay lower, compared to the high-bounce, slow pace of a clay court.
Their rivalry has been dominated by Alcaraz in recent history, with the Spaniard winning their last five meetings – dating back to 2023.
However, when the pair played each other at Wimbledon in 2022, a somewhat different story played out.
Jannik Sinner beat Carlos Alcaraz in their first match at Wimbledon
In 2022, Alcaraz and Sinner had yet to reach the pinnacle of tennis. Alcaraz would go on to win his first Grand Slam title over a year later at the 2023 US Open, while Sinner won his first major at the Australian Open in 2024.
Before their match in 2022, the pair had only played each other once before, at the 2021 Paris Masters. Alcaraz emerged as the victor on that occasion, winning 7-6 7-5 in the round of 32.
However, the Italian bounced back in their opening meeting, winning their first encounter on the Grand Slam stage.
Sinner won an enthralling contest 6-1 6-4 6-7 6-3, setting the stage for many more high-quality matches in the future.
Despite this victory, Sinner has struggled to get the better of Alcaraz. After winning at Wimbledon in 2022, Sinner has only recorded three victories in his last 10 against the Spaniard, losing the last five.
Carlos Alcaraz describes third Wimbledon final as a ‘dream’
Despite losing their last match at Wimbledon, Alcaraz will be more than prepared to leave that battle in the past when the pair step onto Centre Court on Sunday afternoon.
Alcaraz showed his grit and determination in the semi-final, serving superbly to defeat Taylor Fritz in four sets. The Spaniard faced two set points in the fourth set tiebreak, but rattled off four straight points to claim victory.
After the victory, he posted on Instagram, saying: “Third final here! A dream! NOS VEMOS EL DOMINGO! [I’ll see you on Sunday]”
Meanwhile, Sinner was relatively comfortable in his semi-final match, beating Novak Djokovic in straight sets.
The pair will face each other for the 13th time on the ATP Tour at 4pm on Sunday afternoon.
