Jannik Sinner’s $6 million win over Carlos Alcaraz that most people have forgotten about before the Wimbledon final

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Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are set to face off in the 2025 Wimbledon final.

The world number one and two made their way past Novak Djokovic and Taylor Fritz in the semis to qualify for Sunday’s Wimbledon final.

Sinner and Alcaraz have already contested a Grand Slam final in 2025 when the pair battled it out for the title in Paris.

After five sets of thrilling action, Alcaraz defeated Sinner to clinch the French Open title, extending his winning run over the Italian to five matches.

A lot has been made of Alcaraz’s recent head-to-head success against Sinner, although many seem to be forgetting one particular result.

Whilst not an official ATP Tour match, Sinner emerged victorious against Alcaraz as recently as last October, with a record prize on the line.

Jannik Sinner beat Carlos Alcaraz in Saudi Arabia to win $6 million

Eight months ago, six of the biggest names in men’s tennis travelled to Saudi Arabia for the inaugural Six Kings Slam.

• Novak Djokovic
• Rafael Nadal
• Carlos Alcaraz
• Jannik Sinner
• Daniil Medvedev
• Holger Rune

Competing for a record $6 million prize, the players applied themselves in Riyadh just as they would in an official tournament.

Alcaraz and Sinner made their way through to the final, as they prepared to do battle in the 8,000-seat arena.

It was Alcaraz who struck first in the final, clinching the first set in a tiebreaker 7-6 [7-5] when a Sinner backhand went long.

Not prepared to let the match slip away, Sinner broke in the third game of the second set, and broke once more at *3-5 to level things at one set apiece.

They remained on serve until the latter stages of the deciding set, when Sinner secured the break at *3-4.

Holding serve to love, Sinner defeated Alcaraz 6-7, 6-3, 6-3, taking home the biggest prize in tennis history, $6 million.

The win was Sinner’s sole victory over Alcaraz since the beginning of 2024, as he secured a rare positive result against the Spaniard.

Sinner’s Six Kings Slam win hasn’t been added to their official head-to-head record, although it shouldn’t be forgotten about when previewing the Wimbledon final.

To say it was ‘just an exhibition’ is unfair, as Sinner and Alcaraz gave it their all in Saudi Arabia eight months ago.

When Sinner takes to the court on Sunday, he won’t do so without a win over Alcaraz in two years, as many are claiming.

He may even consider himself the favorite, having emerged victorious in their one previous meeting on Wimbledon’s Centre Court.

Jannik Sinner’s win over Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon in 2022

In 2022, Alcaraz and Sinner met in the fourth round of Wimbledon, contesting their first career match on grass.

Starting strongly, Sinner stormed into a 6-1 lead and soon added to his advantage, winning the second set 6-4.

Not willing to go down without a fight, Alcaraz won a tight third-set tiebreaker 7-6 [10-8], but couldn’t maintain his level in the fourth, as he fell to defeat 1-6, 4-6, 7-6, 3-6.

The pair haven’t played another match on grass since, as Sinner will take to Centre Court on Sunday with a 1-0 head-to-head record against Alcaraz on the surface.

Leading 8-4 in their official head-to-head, having won the Wimbledon title on his two most recent visits to the All England Club, it’s not difficult to understand why Alcaraz is being favored by many to beat Sinner in the final.

It isn’t, however, as clear-cut as it may seem from a first glance, as Sinner’s wins in Saudi Arabia and at Wimbledon three years ago prove that the Italian knows how to beat the five-time major champion.

Only time will tell who will win Wimbledon in 2025, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action when Sinner and Alcaraz face off on Sunday, July 13.