Despite falling short in the Wimbledon 2026 men’s singles final, Alexander Zverev said he was proud of his journey after finishing runner-up to World No. 1 Jannik Sinner on Sunday.
A day after the final, the German shared a photo on Instagram of himself holding the runners-up trophy alongside champion Jannik Sinner, acknowledging the disappointment while expressing gratitude for the support he received throughout the tournament.
“Not the trophy I wanted to hold, but still one to be proud of. Thanks for your support over these last two weeks. See you next year @wimbledon,” Zverev wrote.
During the trophy presentation, Zverev congratulated Sinner on successfully defending his Wimbledon crown and hailed the Italian as the best player in the world.
With a smile, the German joked about his struggles against Sinner before applauding the Italian’s consistency at the highest level.
“Yeah, first of all, Jannik. I don’t really like you anymore. I lost to you 9 times in a row,” Zverev said.
“Congratulations to Jannik. He showed once again why he’s the best player in the world. It was great to share Centre Court with you on finals weekend. It’s a great honour to be here. Unfortunately, it didn’t go my way, but congratulations first of all.”
Zverev also praised Sinner’s coaching team, crediting them for the Italian’s remarkable rise from outside the world’s top 10 to becoming a multiple Grand Slam champion and World No. 1.
“Also, congrats to Jannik’s team. You guys have been together for many, many years now. You guys are World No. 1 now, but you started outside of the top 10 and worked your way into being Grand Slam champions and World No. 1. It’s definitely a team effort. Jannik is the first one to admit it. Congratulations to you guys. You really deserve it,” he said.
Sinner retained the Wimbledon men’s singles title with a 6-7(7), 7-6(2), 6-3, 6-4 victory, claiming his fifth Grand Slam title and first major championship of the 2026 season.
The triumph made the Italian the 10th man in the Open Era to successfully defend the Wimbledon singles title while extending his unbeaten run against Zverev to 10 matches.
Sinner also bounced back from his disappointing French Open campaign to lift his sixth ATP title of the season. Meanwhile, Zverev’s bid to win back-to-back Grand Slam titles ended despite reaching his second successive major final.