Wimbledon, the third of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, concluded on Sunday with the victory of world number one Italian Jannik Sinner over his new runner-up in the professional rankings, German Alexander Zverev, in an edition suggesting that the second half of the season will be more competitive compared to 2025.

The Italian star won his first major title of 2026, the fifth of his career and his second consecutive at Wimbledon.

But this time Zverev showed real resistance at the start of the match, and the 29-year-old, who won his first Grand Slam title last month at Roland Garros, nearly took a two-set lead on Centre Court at the All England Club.

Sinner's Australian coach Darren Cahill said on Sunday: "Now that he has gained the confidence from winning a Grand Slam title, he believes in his abilities more."

He added: "He knows he can win seven matches at a Grand Slam... And if he continues to produce this level and this more offensive style than before, Zverev will cause big problems for his rivals."

In his early days, the German lived in the shadow of the dominance of Swiss Roger Federer, Spanish Rafael Nadal and Serbian Novak Djokovic, and today he hopes to keep pace with Sinner and Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz to reshape a new "Big Three" at the top of world tennis, according to what he said on Sunday in London.

Zverev said: "I have improved this year, and I feel I put those two players under pressure: Alcaraz in Australia (where the Spaniard had to go five sets to reach the final), and Jannik here. I haven't beaten them this season, but I think I pushed them to their limits."

Zverev has lost four times in five Grand Slam finals since the 2020 US Open.

With age advancing and reaching his 39th year, Djokovic's chances of a record 25th Grand Slam title are diminishing, somewhat taking him out of the competition with Sinner and Alcaraz, who missed the last two majors due to a wrist injury, opening the way for Zverev.

He admitted that the "harsh lesson" he received against Sinner in the Wimbledon semi-final (4-6, 4-6, 4-6) clearly reminded him of the new limitations imposed by age, saying: "I lost to a better player. I was one or two levels below him."

Former world number three Croatian Ivan Ljubicic considered that "Djokovic is still a great player, but it seems to me that his body" can no longer handle playing "seven matches at the highest level" as required by Grand Slams, according to what the high-performance official of the French Tennis Federation told AFP.

Wimbledon may be the tournament where the Serb gave up his position as the third man in the competition in favor of Zverev, although the German refused to rush into declaring the end of the Belgrade native's career, who is still capable of competing.

After describing Sinner as the "best player in the world," Zverev said: "I think there are two players, maybe three, who can match him. Probably three, because we have to acknowledge that towards Novak."

With the next big event on the calendar approaching, the US Open (August 30 - September 13), the key question remains: will Alcaraz be ready to return to the courts?

The Spaniard, who started the year as world number one and won the Australian Open, the only major missing from his record, was seen hitting lightly with his right hand in a video posted on social media.

But the winner of seven major titles does not appear on the entry list for the Montreal Masters 1000 (August 2-13).

In the most optimistic scenario, he could return to competition shortly before the start of the US Open, by participating in the Cincinnati Masters 1000 (August 13-23).

Sinner said on Sunday: "I hope Carlos returns, because tennis needs him."