"I'm not sad at all, on the contrary, I'm very happy with my recent matches against Sinner," Alcaraz said in a press conference after the Wimbledon final on 13/7, which he lost 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. The match wasn't as dramatic as the French Open final last month, and Alcaraz lost because Sinner held all of his service games in the final three sets.

Alcaraz (right) and Sinner, after the Wimbledon final award ceremony, on Centre Court at the All England Club, London, England on 13/7. _Photo: Reuters_

Alcaraz said he was devastated after losing the 2024 Olympic final to Novak Djokovic, but this time the feeling was completely different, even though this was his first Grand Slam final loss after five consecutive wins.

"I've learned valuable lessons over the past two years," Alcaraz said. "I just lost a major final, but I'm proud to have reached the final. I clearly didn't play badly, and I'll accept the result as it comes. This is the Wimbledon final, against one of the best players in the world, and I'm grateful for this.".

Alcaraz missed the chance to become the fifth player in history to win three consecutive Wimbledon titles. He also missed becoming the first player since Bjorn Borg in 1980 to win both the French Open and Wimbledon in consecutive seasons. He had a tough match, converting only two break points in the first set and struggling to break Sinner's serve in the final three sets.

"My performance in the second set wasn't good," Alcaraz said about the reason for his defeat. "I gave him too many free points on his second serve. I should have capitalized on those second serves better and tried to attack more. I felt Sinner served quite easily. I didn't put enough pressure on him, and that's something I need to improve."

Alcaraz has five major titles, one more than Sinner. Both have the opportunity to complete their Grand Slam collection, with Alcaraz missing the Australian Open and Sinner yet to win the French Open.

Alcaraz remains the top-ranked player this year, with the most wins (48) and titles (5). He's the first player to qualify for the year-end ATP Finals after a successful clay and grass court season, winning four titles in six finals.

Vy Anh