Friday afternoon treated us to 2025’s four finest grass-court tennis players. On one side, Alcaraz faced a promising Taylor Fritz; on the other, Sinner looked to overcome the all-time great Novak Djokovic. It was also a battle of brands: Nike outfitting the new generation (Alcaraz and Sinner), Hugo Boss tailoring Fritz, and Lacoste dressing Djokovic and his team.
With his characteristic poise, Alcaraz secured his place in the final to face none other than his now-familiar rival, Jannik Sinner, who powered past Djokovic. Here, we reflect on the day’s matches and get you ready for Sunday’s final.
Another day at the office for Carlos; a fading chance for the United States to see its first men’s Wimbledon finalist since Andy Roddick in 2009. It was also Fritz’s (No. 5) first Wimbledon semifinal, following his loss to Djokovic in the 2024 quarterfinals - a sign of his growing prowess on grass and a mark of his emergence as a promising Wimbledon contender.
As much as Fritz’s aces helped level the playing field with Alcaraz (Fritz leads the tournament in aces), a smarter, wittier, and more explosive Alcaraz broke Taylor’s serve and took the first set 6-4, with masterful serves and a confident, relaxed stance. The second set saw the Californian adopt a more composed approach, fending off serves ranging between 133-135 mph from the Spaniard. The set reached 5–5 before Fritz broke Alcaraz’s serve and took it home.
In the third set, Alcaraz broke Fritz’s serve early, establishing a 3-1 lead and converting it to 6-3 with the kind of dominant play that now brings him one step closer to another final. The fourth and final set was impressively even - both players held serve, reaching 6-6 and forcing a tiebreak. For a moment, a fifth set seemed likely, as Alcaraz missed several balls into the net. But clever play - rushing to the net, lobbing over his opponent, and slicing his shots - led Alcaraz to his third Wimbledon final after 2 hours and 48 minutes. Courage and composure saw Alcaraz close it out in four - not five - sets.
Sinner overwhelmed Djokovic in all aspects of the game: he was faster, stronger, he served better and made less mistakes. Yet, Djokovic gave his all throughout the tournament, beating youngsters such as Cobboli (No. 24) and De Minaur (No. 11) with wit and experience. But Sinner is a tennis machine, he seems to be everywhere, runs to every ball and serves perfectly. In the first set, the Italian led early from a serve break, which he asserted with strong-armed aces, that were trying to keep Djokovic from playing the ball. Some of Nole’s returns were similar to his game against De Minaur, as unnforced mistakes saw him lose points to the net or the side of the court.
Sinner overwhelmed Djokovic in all aspects of the game: he was faster, stronger, served better, and made fewer mistakes. Yet Djokovic gave his all throughout the tournament, defeating rising talents such as Cobolli (No. 24) and De Minaur (No. 11) with wit and experience. But Sinner showed once again he is the tennis machine.
In the first set, the Italian led early from a service break, which he consolidated with strong-armed aces designed to keep Djokovic from entering the point. Some of Nole’s returns resembled his game against De Minaur, as unforced errors saw him lose points to the net or wide. Set 2 told a similar story: Sinner went up 2-0 by breaking serve and placing exquisite shots, impossible for Novak to reach. The Serbian had little opportunity to counter Sinner’s serves.
Set 3 was the most exciting of this 1-hour 55-minute contest. After receiving brief attention for what appeared to be a muscle issue, Djokovic broke Sinner’s serve, with the Italian showing his first signs of vulnerability - hitting into the net and sending a lob out of bounds. At 2–0 for Nole, there was a glimpse of the Serbian’s signature resilience, a reminder that he can never be counted out. But the comeback was short-lived: Sinner broke Djokovic’s serve twice and forced the 24-time Grand Slam champion to chase balls with little success, ultimately leaving him without answers. The faster player was Sinner, who countered nearly every shot and controlled the set, outplaying Djokovic to reach his first Wimbledon final.
Sunday 13th, at 4 p.m. BST, Centre Court will host the Alcaraz vs. Sinner final in what promises to be an epic battle. For Alcaraz, it’s a chance to defend his title and cement his victories over Sinner in Paris and Rome. For Sinner, it marks his first Wimbledon final - an opportunity to overturn those defeats and finally add another Grand Slam trophy to his name in 2025.
