World's top two set up repeat of RG final
©Corinne Dubreuil / FFTWe’ve barely recovered from the last showdown between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner and 35 days later, we get to witness another one – how lucky are we?
Alcaraz kept his bid for a Wimbledon threepeat alive on Friday with an impressive 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6(6) semi-final victory over fifth-seeded Taylor Fritz.
Sinner then punched his ticket to a maiden final at the All England Club with a commanding 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 win against an ailing Novak Djokovic.
The world’s top two are the fifth pair of players in history to contest the Roland-Garros and Wimbledon men’s singles finals in the same season, and just the second pair to do so in the Open Era.
“I still think about that moment sometimes,” said Alcaraz of his comeback triumph over Sinner in the Roland-Garros final just over a month ago.
©Jean-Charles Caslot / FFT“It was the best match that I have ever played so far. I'm not surprised he just pushed me to the limit. I expect that on Sunday just to be in the limit, to be on the line. It’s going to be a great day, a great final. I'm just excited about it.”
Alcaraz defeated Djokovic in each of the last two Wimbledon finals and the Spaniard will be gunning for a third consecutive triumph at SW19 when he takes on Sinner on Sunday.
The world No.2 needed two hours and 49 minutes to move past Fritz, who struck 44 winners, including 19 aces, but struggled when returning Alcaraz’s first serve.
Alcaraz won 88 percent of the points behind his first delivery. The 22-year-old serve-and-volleyed 20 times, and was successful in 16 of them.
“I can't be prouder, to be honest,” said Alcaraz, who enters the sixth Grand Slam final of his career with an undefeated record in his previous five.
“Just really happy to make my third consecutive final here at Wimbledon playing such a great tennis. Just really, really happy. Just can't wait for Sunday.”
Fritz, who clinched a fourth Eastbourne title on the eve of Wimbledon, saw his nine-match winning streak come to an end on Friday.
The American had two set points at 6-4 in the fourth-set tiebreak but couldn’t force a decider as Alcaraz swept the last four points of the contest.
“Every time I play these guys, I learn a lot about what I need to do to improve and get better,” said Fritz, who is now 0-3 head-to-head against Alcaraz,
“Moving ahead, I just want to keep working on the things that are going to get me better, that are going to help me compete with these guys because at the end of the day, my ultimate goal is to win a slam. I think I'm going to have to at some point beat these guys to do it. It's obviously a tough ask.”
Later on Centre Court, Sinner reached a fourth consecutive Grand Slam final, becoming just the sixth man in the Open Era to achieve such a streak.
He’s also just the fifth man this century to make the final at each of the four majors, joining Djokovic, Andy Murray, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal.
“It’s some good company,” Sinner said with a giggle when the stat was relayed to him during his on-court interview.
“It’s amazing. It shows that I’m growing as a player on all surfaces, which for me is even more important. Trying to keep going, trying to keep working. I struggled a lot five years ago when I started on this surface. I couldn’t really move very well, now I’m moving much better. It’s all part of the process.
“I’m very, very happy. Me and my team we’re trying to work every day with a good purpose. So it means a lot to me having achieved these kind of things but on the other way, we try to keep going, we try to have a smile on our faces, which is more important in this journey.”
Sinner was ruthless during Friday’s semi-final against Djokovic, who appeared to be struggling with a leg problem that hampered his movement.
The seven-time Wimbledon champion attempted a comeback early in the third set, moving up 3-0 but Sinner too six of the next seven games to secure the victory in under two hours.
“Amazing, wow, I cannot believe it. It’s a tournament I always watched when I was young in the television and I would never have imagined I could play here in the final, it’s amazing,” said the 23-year-old Sinner.
“From my side, I served very well today, I felt great on court, I was moving much better today,” said Sinner, who is aiming for a fourth Grand Slam title.
“I think we all saw, especially in the third set that he was a bit injured. He fell in the last couple of points in his quarter-final. He’s been in a very difficult situation but I tried to stay calm, trying to play the best tennis I can, especially in the important moments. I’m very happy about my performance.”
Djokovic, 38, refused to discuss his injury during his press conference, and didn’t chalk up his injury woes this season to bad luck.
“I don't think it's bad fortune. It's just age, the wear and tear of the body. As much as I'm taking care of it, the reality hits me right now, last year and a half, like never before, to be honest,” said the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
“It's tough for me to accept that because I feel like when I'm fresh, when I'm fit, I can still play really good tennis. I've proven that this year.
“But yeah, I guess playing best-of-five, particularly this year, has been a real struggle for me physically. The longer the tournament goes, yeah, the worse the condition gets. I reach the final stages, I reach the semis of every slam this year, but I have to play Sinner or Alcaraz.
“These guys are fit, young, sharp. I feel like I'm going into the match with tank half empty. It's just not possible to win a match like that.
“It is what it is, you know? It's one of these things I accept and embrace in some way, deal with the reality the way it is, and try to make the most out of it, I guess.”
ROLAND-GARROS
18 May - 7 June 2026
