Jannik Sinner will bid for a first Wimbledon title and attempt to gain revenge for that devastating French Open final defeat, while Carlos Alcaraz is seeking to join an elite club.
Between them, Alcaraz and Sinner have shared the last six Grand Slam titles and their mesmeric clash last month in the longest-ever Roland-Garros final at five hours and 29 minutes is being touted as one of the greatest of all time.
The Spaniard came back from two sets down and saved three championship points on his way to a fifth Grand Slam title, in the process.
On Sunday, Centre Court will host the rematch.
“I’m still thinking about that moment sometimes,” said Alcaraz. “It was the best match that I have ever played so far.
“I’m not surprised he pushed me to the limit. I expect that on Sunday just to be on the limit, to be on the line. It’s just going to be a great day, a great final. I’m just excited about it.
“I just hope not to be on court for five-and-a-half hours again. But if I have to, I will.”
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Highlights of the Italian Open final match between Sinner and Alcaraz
Should Alcaraz prevail he would join Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic as the only men to win the Wimbledon title three years in a row and he would also surpass Rafael Nadal’s two Wimbledon crowns.
But both players have shown vulnerability during this fortnight.
Alcaraz flirted with a shock first-round defeat against Italian Fabio Fognini, needing five sets. Sinner trailed by two sets against Grigor Dimitrov in the fourth-round after hurting his elbow, but was reprieved when the Bulgarian retired hurt.
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Watch Alcaraz and Sinner in an hilarious ‘who knows each other better’ session at the ATP Finals
The 23-year-old, who took just an hour and 55 minutes to ruthlessly ending Novak Djokovic’s title dreams, was playing in his first Grand Slam final only 18 months ago in Australia, and by completing his set in just six tournaments, he has set a new record.
Sinner said: “I cannot believe. It’s a tournament I always watched when I was young and I would have never imagined I could play here in the final.
“It shows I’m growing as a player on all surfaces.
“I struggled a lot five years ago when I started on this surface. Now I’m moving much better.”
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Rafael Nadal says Sinner and Alcaraz are already huge stars, but it’s too soon to compare their rivalry to his with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic
Alcaraz leads Sinner 8-4 in the series, including winning all of the last four.
But it is Sinner who triumphed in the only previous grass-court encounter between the two. The Italian registered a four-set win in the Wimbledon fourth round in 2022.
For Sinner, Sunday’s Wimbledon final offers a chance of redemption for his Roland-Garros heartbreak.
“We saw the last final. You never know,” he said. “It’s a huge honour for me to share the court once again with Carlos. We try to push ourselves to the limit. He is for sure one of the players I look up to. I love watching him and we all agree what kind of talent he is. Hopefully it’s going to be a good match like the last one.”
So the stage is set for a fitting end to a sun-filled Wimbledon fortnight and if Sunday’s duel is even remotely as compelling as the one in Paris, we are in for a treat.
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