Sinner defends Wimbledon crown, claims fifth Grand Slam title

Jannik Sinner reinforced his status as the world's top-ranked player after successfully defending his Wimbledon title, defeating Alexander Zverev 6-7(7), 7-6(2), 6-3, 6-4 in a hard-fought final at the All England Club on Sunday.

The victory marked the Italian's fifth Grand Slam title and his first major triumph since lifting the Wimbledon trophy a year ago.

Despite his growing collection of titles, Sinner said he still views Grand Slam victories as rare achievements.

"There is no failure if you don't win a Grand Slam. It's very, very rare. Now I have five in my whole life, but it's five days out of so many other days," Sinner said. "I never take things for granted."

The 24-year-old entered Wimbledon looking to rebound from a difficult stretch that included runner-up finishes at the US Open and Australian Open, as well as a heartbreaking collapse at the French Open, where he squandered a two-set and 5-1 lead before losing in the second round.

Sinner admitted he gradually found his rhythm throughout the fortnight after being pushed to five sets in his opening-round match against Miomir Kecmanovic.

"I have improved throughout the whole tournament. If you look at the first two or three matches and then how I ended the tournament, I kept growing. That's exactly what I needed," he said.

The Wimbledon champion now owns five Grand Slam titles, narrowing the gap on rival Carlos Alcaraz, who has seven majors but missed the tournament due to injury. |Reports from Agence France-Presse