Steve Flink on Wimbledon '26 (Sinner, Zverev, Djokovic & Disappointments) | Monday Match Analysis

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**Gill Gross** (0:47)
Welcome, everyone, to this special interview edition of Monday Match Analysis. It is the post Wimbledon chat with Steve Flink.
Just to give you a little bit of a preview on what's to come, we will start with Sinner's Varev stuff, discussion of the final. Then we'll go to some Novak Djokovic talk.
We will hit on the night session, the Wimbledon night session sort of scheduling stuff that I was interested to get Steve's take on. We'll hit on Alcaraz returning from the wrist injury. Timetables for that as we head into this summer. And then back due to popular demand, the disappointment power rankings. Without further ado, here's Steve Flink. We're joined once again by Hall of Fame Tennis writer, Steve Flink for our traditional post-major chat, Wimbledon 2026 Steve, good to see you. I like the Roland Garros to Wimbledon because we don't have to wait too long until we get back together again.

**Steve Flink** (1:44)
Yeah, you're right. And then I know it's a little longer with the open but not terribly long there either. But you're right. This is the quickest turnaround and there's so much that was compelling at Wimbledon for us to talk about.

**Gill Gross** (1:56)
Yeah. I want to start with the final itself, which I thought was an entertaining final that surpassed really what we've seen as of late in that specific head-to-head Sinner versus Zverev. I think the best way to jump into it is this.
What happened in the first set and why didn't it continue that way for the rest of the match?

**Steve Flink** (2:20)
Okay. I need you to elaborate a bit on that point and then I'm with you, but just clue me in a little bit more on where you're headed there.

**Gill Gross** (2:29)
Sure. So Zverev wins the first set with a flurry of aggressive tennis, particularly off of the forehand. Yeah. Oh yeah.
It's a breakless set, but obviously Sinner is able to turn the tides in the match. So what are the main factors moving forward after the first set that you felt played into basically Sinner having the upper hand the rest of the way?

**Steve Flink** (2:54)
Okay. Thank you.
Thank you for clarifying. I appreciate that. No, but seriously, first of all, I just want to comment, say one thing about the first set. You probably remember that, you know, obviously they both were holding comfortably and Zverev was devastatingly potent and accurate. I mean, that serve was fantastic. So all credit to him. However, despite that, four-three for Sinner, break point, and he completely mis-hit a forehand, Gill. I know, and it was not off one of Sasha's blazing flat forehands. He had time to set up. He actually seemed to get overanxious. I attribute part of that, by the way, to the win. I just want to say at the outset, I thought that, I don't know how much they talked about it on television, but sitting in the center court as I was, that win was very tricky and forceful. And difficult for both players. And again, I tip my hat to Zverev because he actually, through the first and second sets there, he was beating Sinner to the punch from the back court.
He was hitting the ball so cleanly and so hard and not backing off his forehand.
And Sinner, it was Sinner who I thought was a bit, the combination of the ammunition that was being thrown at him by a top flight opponent, plus the conditions, were putting him off a bit more. And I thought that was fascinating. But nonetheless, 4-3, the break point. If he seals that break point, Gill, he's up 5-3, he serves out the set and maybe he starts to relax and maybe it's a different kind of match. But so be it. They go to the tie break and then I love the fact that they were on serve all the way through to that last point. So they each had set points and then finally Sasha fittingly wins it with a forehand winner. So I thought that set could have gone either way. That tie break could have gone either way as well. So a little deflating for Sinner but I was impressed that Zverev sustained his standards in the second set. We saw basically a carbon copy replica in the second set. He continued to serve like a demon and Sinner held up his end of the bargain too. He was the one that had to serve from behind in the second set. Then as you know, it was a nice start to Sinner in the tie break to win it. He won the first four points and takes at 7-2. So I didn't think much changed in the second. I just thought that Sinner was able to prevail in the tie break because of a strong start. It was a very different tie break because he got that quick early mini break and it wasn't like the first set where they each were winning every point on their serves.