'He should have followed Dimitrov’s example': Toni Nadal assesses Carlos Alcaraz’s Wimbledon final performance

On Sunday, Jannik Sinner got his revenge over Carlos Alcaraz and defeated him in the Wimbledon final, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, to claim his first Grand Slam title outside of hard courts. The Italian overcame Carlitos at the tournament where the Spaniard had been most dominant — a two-time defending champion with a 20-match winning streak at SW19.

However, the World No. 1 had managed to find answers in the past against the rival who has challenged him most in his career. Alcaraz had won their previous five encounters, including the latest final at Roland Garros, where he saved three match points and eventually claimed the title after an epic five-hour-and-29-minute battle.

The match drew the attention of the tennis world, once again witnessing a Grand Slam showdown between Sinner and Alcaraz. Expectations were sky-high after their French Open final, which is already being hailed as one of the greatest Grand Slam finals in history. Yet Toni Nadal believes the Wimbledon final didn’t reach the same level we saw in Paris.

"The match wasn’t as brilliant and spectacular as we’ve come to expect from these two players,” commented Rafael Nadal’s former coach. “I think both of them felt the pressure of the moment at different stages, leading to low first-serve percentages and a few more avoidable errors.”

Sinner’s road to the title included a tense moment in the fourth round, where he dropped the first two sets to Grigor Dimitrov. However, the Bulgarian began to experience physical issues and was forced to retire midway through the third set — falling just short of a major upset.

Sinner survived that scare and went on to lift the trophy, beating Carlos Alcaraz not just in the scoreline, but also in overall gameplay. Toni Nadal believes Carlitos was far from his usual level and should have drawn more inspiration from Dimitrov’s approach. “He showed a more erratic and inconsistent game and gradually lost faith in his chances to win. I think the Spaniard should have tried to vary his game a bit more and follow Dimitrov’s example.”

Sinner and Alcaraz have now shared the last seven Grand Slam titles since the beginning of 2024 and will be top contenders at the upcoming US Open. A few weeks earlier, they’ll meet again in a main draw for the first time since Roland Garros, when they compete at the Canadian Open starting July 28.