It was a point that encapsulated Jannik Sinner's journey to a second Wimbledon title.

In a tight final, Sinner had a chance to break opponent Alexander Zverev's serve. He fell to the ground mid-rally, picked himself back up and forced an error out of Zverev to clinch the first break of serve almost three hours into the match.

Sinner would not be denied from there.

The Italian world number one would again drop to the ground - but this time in celebration after completing a four-set comeback victory to become only the 10th man in the Open era to retain the Wimbledon men's singles title.

Once again triumphant at the only tennis tournament he would watch as a child - when the sport he would come to master still had to compete with skiing and football for his attention - the manner of his fifth Grand Slam success suggested normal service had resumed.

Because, for a brief moment, Sinner had appeared vulnerable.

Scintillating Sinner's best shots as world number one retains Wimbledon title

One month after the world number one suffered a seismic shock at the French Open, another upset was brewing.

Confronted with unwanted history, Sinner would have to come from behind to beat Miomir Kecmanovic in five sets and avoid becoming only the third defending Wimbledon men's champion to lose in the first round.

The 24-year-old's durability in marathon encounters has long been a concern, with Sinner having lost eight of his previous nine matches that went the distance.

There had also been a shattering event in Paris for the second year in a row.

Sinner arrived at Wimbledon having not competed since his extraordinary collapse in the French Open second round, when he lost to Argentine Juan Manuel Cerundolo from two sets and 5-1 up.

He had recovered from a far greater catastrophe to triumph at the All England Club in 2025, taking revenge on rival Carlos Alcaraz just 35 days after losing their epic Roland Garros final from two sets and three championship points up.

But now his physical resilience was under the spotlight - and the early signs at Wimbledon offered encouragement to those eyeing his throne.

Both junctures would have taken others months to recover from. For Sinner, they became catalysts for greater heights.

"This one means a lot because it was a tough one after Paris, again," Sinner said.

"Last year was also tough. But coming here, I tried to put myself in the best position to be as competitive as possible.

"We put in a lot of long days, sacrificing a lot to be in this position." (BBC)