ATP Wimbledon 2025: Carlos Alcaraz Hails Jannik Sinner's Growth After Final Loss – 'Grateful For This Rivalry'

Carlos Alcaraz believes Jannik Sinner's defeat in their French Open epic last month helped the world number one win his first Wimbledon title. 

Two-time defending champion Alcaraz was dethroned at the All England Club on Sunday, with Sinner emerging a 4-6 6-4 6-4 6-4 victor after another enthralling encounter. 

The Spaniard was aiming to become only the fifth player to win the grass-court major three times in a row, but he fell short of that feat and a sixth grand slam title. 

Sinner's victory halted a run of five consecutive defeats against Alcaraz in what was their first meeting since their Roland-Garros thriller. 

That five-hour, 29-minute match was the longest men's singles final at the tournament in the Open Era, with Sinner leading by two sets and looking on course for the title. 

But Alcaraz came back from the brink, becoming the third player in the Open Era to win a men's singles grand slam final after having saved championship point(s) after Gaston Gaudio (Roland-Garros 2004) and Novak Djokovic (Wimbledon 2019).

And the Spaniard believes Sinner's setback in Paris was crucial to his victory in SW19, going on to concede he was second best in the match. 

"He didn't surprise me at all, that he was able to get over that so quickly and win here," Alcaraz told reporters shortly after his defeat on Centre Court. 

"Champions learn from… I'm not going to say their failures, but they learn from their losses.

"I knew he was going to learn from that final, not make the same mistakes.

"The way he played today was really high, and he knew he was going to play like that. I know he's a really nice player and a huge champion."

The defeat also saw Alcaraz's perfect record in grand slam finals come to an end. He had triumphed in his previous five such matches before facing Sinner this time around. 

Alcaraz has, however, lost a high-profile final previously, with that coming at the Paris Olympics against Djokovic last year. 

Despite dominating the 24-time grand slam champion at Wimbledon three weeks earlier, Alcaraz lost in straight sets in France as Djokovic claimed an elusive gold medal. 

"This is a different feeling," Alcaraz added. "Last year at the Olympics I was really bad emotionally after the match. It was really, really hard for me to accept that moment.

"Now I just accept everything that is coming to me. Okay, I just lost a grand slam final, but I am really proud about being in a final, forget that I lost it.

"I just want to keep the good moments and try to forget the bad moments.

"In the match, he pushed me to the limit at every point. At some points, I didn't know what to do. From the baseline, he was better than me, and I couldn’t do anything about it."

While disappointed about being unable to defend his crown, Alcaraz shared his immense pride about his recent run. 

Alcaraz claimed 34 consecutive men's singles match wins at Wimbledon and Roland-Garros, a streak only bettered by Bjorn Borg (69) at the two venues in the Open Era. 

He had also won 24 matches in a row at all tournaments prior to Sunday's defeat, the longest run of his career. 

While Alcaraz said the loss would serve as motivation to go again, he will continue to embrace his blossoming rivalry with Sinner, with the duo winning the last seven grand slams between them.

"I am really happy about having this rivalry with him," said Alcaraz. "It's great for us, and it's great for tennis.

"Every time we play against each other, I think our level is really high. I don't see any other players having the level we do when we face each other.

"My rivalry with him gives me the chance to practise every day to be better. I'm grateful for it."