Jannik Sinner summed up his respect for the Royal Family in just four words after winning his second consecutive Wimbledon title. The Italian defeated Alexander Zverev in Sunday's final to retain the trophy at SW19, following his maiden triumph in 2025.
Sinner's Royal Encounter
After stepping off Centre Court, Sinner was greeted by the Prince and Princess of Wales, accompanied by Prince George and Princess Charlotte. The royals personally congratulated him on his back-to-back titles. Despite having chatted with them the previous year, Sinner admitted the encounter was still nerve-racking.
When asked how he found speaking to the royals compared to last year, when he struggled to find the right words, Sinner smiled and said: "It was not easier."
He elaborated: "So much respect, so I never know where the line is. No, I think you can really see that they love the sport. This is exactly how we feel as players on court when we see them watching tennis. Staying there for four hours under the sun with the heat, it's really nice. I asked the kids if they still play. They are very happy, yes, they do. We had a very, very small conversation, but I love it. That they also take time to talk with me, it's something really, really nice. Having the whole Royal Box there, as well, the whole people staying for a match like this for four-ish hours, it's amazing. That's also the reason why we love to play tennis."
Historic Achievement
With this victory, Sinner became the only male player in the Open Era to have exactly five major titles, leaving him just one Grand Slam away from equalling the tallies of Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg. His win came just weeks after a second-round exit at the French Open, a turnaround he attributed to hard work and mental adjustment.
"I think every Grand Slam is different," Sinner said. "Different story, different environment, different feelings before the tournament. For me, this one means a lot because was a tough one after Paris again. Last year was also tough, but coming here, I tried to put myself in the best possible position to be as competitive as possible. Yeah, we put in a lot of workdays in Monaco, very, very long. Definitely sacrificing a lot of my time and everything to be in this position. Having this achievement, it means a lot to me. Yeah, it was an amazing day today."
Sinner noted his improvement throughout the tournament: "I have improved throughout the whole tournament. If you see the performance from the first two, three matches, then how I ended the tournament, it has been always growing. That's exactly what I needed. I was looking for this improvement, a player improvement, from my side. We made it happen. Of course, mentally you need to make the switch, as well, to be able to do so."
