Sinner believes Wimbledon showdown with favourite Alcaraz will be different

LONDON: Top seed Jannik Sinner said he would not be in the Wimbledon final if he still harboured the hurt from his heart-breaking defeat by Carlos Alcaraz in the French Open final and believed Sunday’s meeting would be different.

Sinner had three match points at Roland Garros before Alcaraz came roaring back to defend his crown and the Italian was left licking his wounds after the near-5-1/2 hour tug of war, which many fans labelled as one of the greatest finals.

A month on, Sinner has successfully left that loss in the rear-view mirror and is into his first Wimbledon final, where he will look to take revenge on Alcaraz.

“If it would be a lot in my head, I would not be in the situation to play a final again,” Sinner told reporters after beating Novak Djokovic 6-3 6-3 6-4 in Friday’s semi-final.

“I’m very happy to once again share the court with Carlos. It’s going to be difficult, I know that. But I’m looking forward to it. I try always to put myself in these kinds of situations I really love. Sundays in every tournament are special.

“But this is a question I cannot answer because I think it’s something you feel before the match and also during the match. I can give you answers after. But no, it’s a different match. I’m looking forward to it.”

Sinner, who has lost his last five matches against Alcaraz to trail 4-8 in their head-to-head meetings, said the Spaniard was the favourite heading into their All England Club meeting but he would do his best to turn around his fortunes.

“We evolve as players and we get better as competitors. So of course, you try to do something different. You don’t want to be predictable on the court, so we’re going to prepare in the best possible way,” Sinner said.

“I believe when the match and the rhythm is that high, you play a lot with your gut feeling too, or what you feel like in that moment. Obviously, the surface is different.

“He is the favourite. He won here two times in a row. He’s again in the final. It’s very tough to beat him on grass but I like these challenges. I like to go head-to-head and see what I can do and what I can reach.”