Jannik Sinner revealed his pride at how he bounced back from French Open heartbreak to claim a first Wimbledon title.
The world number one beat Carlos Alcaraz in four sets on Centre Court in just over three hours, going some way to exacting revenge for his defeat in Paris to the same opponent five weeks ago.
At Roland Garros, Sinner had three championship points in the fourth set but those slipped away as Alcaraz forced a decider and went on to win an epic final.
Sinner has had to face regular questions since on how painful that defeat was and whether it still plays on his mind, but the 23-year-old provided an emphatic answer in securing his fourth Grand Slam title at the next opportunity.
“This I think is the part where I'm the proudest of because it really has not been easy,” Sinner said.
“I always tried to be honest with me and had the self-talk too, you know, what if, what if? I always tried to accept it, in a way.
“Things can happen. I believe if you lose a Grand Slam final that way, it's much better like this than someone kills you, you know, that you make two games. Then after you keep going, keep pushing.
“I did a lot of intensity in every practice because I felt like that I could play very good. That's why I also said after Roland Garros that it's not the time to put me down, no, because another Grand Slam is coming up, and I did great here.”
Sinner and Alcaraz have now shared the past seven Grand Slams between them.
Alcaraz had been the dominant force in the head-to-head meetings, winning his previous five matches against Sinner, but the Italian had taken heart from the fine margins in several of those encounters.
Asked about the significance of ending his losing run against Alcaraz, Sinner said: “It is important, for sure, because when you lose several times against someone, it's not easy.
“But in the same time in the past I felt that I was very close. If you watch all matchups, I'm starting [with] Beijing, 7-6 in the third.
“Then Rome was I had set point in the first set, I couldn't use it. Then in Paris happened what happened. But I felt close. I never pushed myself down.”
