Sinner seeks redemption, Alcaraz a three-peat in Wimbledon final showdown

LONDON :For Jannik Sinner, Sunday's Wimbledon final offers a chance of redemption; for Carlos Alcaraz it is an opportunity to join an elite club of men who have won the title three years in succession.

There are many other plot lines but above all the showdown will help to cement a rivalry that could dominate tennis for a decade.

Fears of a void in the wake of the golden era of Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic were real - surely nothing would ever be the same again after an age in which they took the sport to unimaginable heights.

From 2003 to 2023, the trio accumulated 66 Grand Slam titles between them and their rivalries were complex and compelling in equal measure. Djokovic is not done yet but a new era has begun and it promises to be just as spectacular as the previous one.

Between them, Alcaraz and Sinner have shared the last six Grand Slam titles and their mesmeric clash last month in the longest-ever French Open final is being touted as one of the greatest of all time.

The Spaniard came back from two sets down and saved three match points on his way to a fifth Grand Slam title, in the process taking his head-to-head record over Sinner to 8-4, including winning all of the last four.

It was a painful defeat for world number one Sinner but he has not had to wait long to try to set the record straight.

"He is the favourite. He won here two times in a row. He's again in the final. It's very tough to beat him on grass but I like these challenges," the 23-year-old Sinner said of Alcaraz after beating Djokovic to reach his first Wimbledon final.

"This is the second consecutive Grand Slam that we are in the final and playing each other, which is great from my side. I believe it's good for the sport."

Sinner's three