When Jannik Sinner lost to Carlos Alcaraz in last month's French Open final, it represented the toughest test of the Italian's career to date.
After all, the match was there for the taking. He was two sets up and had the chance to kill off his rival. When he didn't, he ended up paying the price.
Alcaraz, on that occasion, was sublime. The Spaniard used every weapon in his arsenal to secure victory and never let his his dip. Despite the strength of the opponent, the 22-year-old didn't buckle and secured a memorable victory after five-and-a-half hours of gruelling action.
Many had Alcaraz down as the favourite to win Sunday's Wimbledon final, too. He went into the clash unbeaten at the All England Club since 2022, when Sinner ended his Wimbledon dream on that occasion.
Jannik Sinner has bounced back from last month's French Open nightmare to win Wimbledon on Sunday
GETTY
Yet his time as champion is now over. Sinner was outstanding on Sunday, with the 23-year-old showing why he's ranked No 1 in the world as he won the first Wimbledon title of his career.
He could have been forgiven for fearing the worst when Alcaraz won the first set 6-4. Instead, this time, it was the Italian who came from behind to reign supreme.
Sinner's mental strength is, arguably, his biggest asset. Losing the first set to the defending champion, playing in his favourite stadium, left him with a mountain to climb.
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But the world No 1 rose to the occasion, producing a level of tennis so high that his opponent was left fighting to stay in contention.
Alcaraz's serving let him down on Centre Court. While Sinner was peerless, the first set aside, the Spaniard was unable to achieve any sort of consistency.
He could potentially get away with that against lesser opponents. Against Sinner, however, he was made to pay the ultimate price.
Jannik Sinner produced a stunning display on Sunday as the world No 1 won Wimbledon
REUTERS
The tennis star, who now has four majors to his name, won sets two and three by a 6-4 scoreline.
As the match started to slip away, Alcaraz's frustration was evident. The world No 2 was seen exchanging angry words with his coaches in his box and looked exasperated, as though he didn't like what they had to say.
To compound his woes, Sinner secured an early break at the start of the fourth. It was evident, from that moment on, there was only going to be one winner. In the end, he secured victory with via 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 scoreline.
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Sinner continued to play without any chinks in his armour and, after winning the match, raised his arms in joy.
Last month's French Open defeat was likely in his thoughts. When he squandered the chance to win that tournament, against today's rival, some questioned whether he'd have the mental strength to bounce back.
They have been made to look foolish now, however. Many expected this to be a classic - but it was far more one-sided than their memorable contest at Roland Garros.
Carlos Alcaraz had no answer to the brilliance of Jannik Sinner during Sunday's Wimbledon final
REUTERS
For Sinner, the onus will now be to build on this.
He will go into the US Open later in the year as the favourite given his stunning form on hard courts. He conquered Flushing Meadows last year and has won two Australian Open titles, too.
As for Alcaraz, it's the 22-year-old who must now lick his wounds and go again. Whether he can respond to this defeat the way Sinner did after Roland Garros remains to be seen.