2026 Wimbledon Men's Final: Sinner v Zverev

[MargaretMcAleer]

I still maintain I could hit better volleys with a wooden racquet with gut than my smaller head racquet I have today

 

[britbox]

I still maintain I could hit better volleys with a wooden racquet with gut than my smaller head racquet I have today

You'll like this:



Besides, the racquets - there an interesting sidebar about Jamie Murray's forehand about 11'45" in - about how he was #3 in Europe behind Nadal and Gasquet in the Juniors and English coaches ruined his forehand.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

You'll like this:



Besides, the racquets - there an interesting sidebar about Jamie Murray's forehand about 11'45" in - about how he was #3 in Europe behind Nadal and Gasquet in the Juniors and English coaches ruined his forehand.

My goodness Jamie Murray's coach in England ruined his fhand and he could not play singles in his career what the hell?
I enjoyed the different racquets that they both tested during the years, they both like the 1970's racquet for its volley control
Thanks it was very eye opening.

 

[Shivashish Sarkar]

People were saying the same about Federer before the pandemic, when he nearly won Wimbledon over prime Djokovic. Sometimes, the walls close in faster than you think. Djokovic has been gradually declining each year since 2023. If Djokovic (at 39) can't beat Sinner and Alcaraz, what makes you think that he will suddenly get better 3 years from now and beat those guys plus 23/24-year-old Mensik/Tien/Fonseca/Jodar, not to mention people rising from the crop of 20-22 year-olds in the 2007-09 cohorts?

aging factor for Eastern European people and Djokovic in particular versus other players. We still need to see how Alcaraz etc. hold up in 2-3 years. Do you remember that Djokovic beat Alcaraz in Oz Open 2025. That was also prime Alcaraz. Same goes for Olympics 2024. If that is possible everything is possible. Djokovic will surely maintain himself and make a comeback.

 

[PhiEaglesfan712]

aging factor for Eastern European people and Djokovic in particular versus other players. We still need to see how Alcaraz etc. hold up in 2-3 years. Do you remember that Djokovic beat Alcaraz in Oz Open 2025. That was also prime Alcaraz. Same goes for Olympics 2024. If that is possible everything is possible. Djokovic will surely maintain himself and make a comeback.

Eastern Europeans sure do age better, so if I look at the Oldest Living Europeans list, I'm sure to find all Eastern Europeans... oh wait, it's all full of Western Europeans:

1​	Ethel Caterham	21 Aug 1909	116	United Kingdom
2​	Lucia Sangenito	22 Nov 1910	115	Italy
3​	Madeleine Dellamonica	23 July 1912	113	France
4​	Merah Smith	9 Nov 1912	113	Jamaica United Kingdom
5​	Maria da Conceição de Brito	31 Dec 1912	113	Portugal
6​	Marcelle Demorgny	10 Mar 1913	113	France
7​	Marie-Louise Bresson	15 Mar 1913	113	French Algeria France
8​	Teresa Fernandez Casado	29 July 1913	112	Spain
9​	Felicidad Hernández Corredera	11 Aug 1913	112	Spain
10​	Hilda Luck	19 Feb 1914	112	United Kingdom

Even for the oldest living European men, just one from Eastern Europe (Romania):

1	Vitantonio Lovallo	28 Mar 1914	112	Italy
2	Joaquim Varela	1 June 1915	111	Portugal
3	Jesús Redondo Bermejo	2 June 1915	111	Spain
4	Hugh Munro Kerr	9 Oct 1915	110	United Kingdom
5	Iosif Rus	28 Oct 1915	110	Romania
6	Joan Escude Farriol	6 Jan 1916	110	Spain
7	Pedro Bernadas Mujica	2 Aug 1916	109	Spain
8	Joao De Almeida	21 Oct 1916	109	Portugal
9	Pere Quintana	18 Jan 1917	109	Spain
10	Odd Borlaug	31 Mar 1917	109	Norway

So, Eastern Europeans don't age better even compared to Western Europeans.

Anyways, Djokovic beating Alcaraz at the Olympics was 2 years ago, and the 2025 AO was a year-and-a-half ago. Look at the stats from 2023 to 2024-26. It's been a clear and steady drop. Djokovic won 7 titles, including 3 slams in 2023. He's only won 3 titles combined in 2024-26, with none so far this year. Even if Alcaraz/Sinner don't hold up/retire early, there is already a new crop of players emerging, like Mensik, Fonseca, and Jodar. In 2-3 years, they will be in their primes. Not to mention, possible players in the 2007-09 cohort that will be in their early 20s. Djokovic is heading into his 40s, and as I told you already, the Eastern European aging factor is a myth.

 

[Federberg]

Lendl hated playing him too... and Muster.

people forget that Stefan was incredibly quick around the court, and had an immense positional IQ. Even after an age of the Big 3, he played a set against Boris in their final match of the Wimbledon trilogy that is in my mind the greatest exposition of serve and volley tennis. It was just the crispness of the volleys, it was the fact that the set up shot forced Boris to put the ball exactly where Edberg went. It was incredible. Mac may well be the most talented volleyer we've ever seen, but Stefan was the BEST

 

[mrzz]

My Dear Mrzz
I will kindly switch your Zed Tee Shirt for a Sinner is a Winner Tee shirt......let me know in advance and I will express post it to you
Love your Mrzz you always keep me honest in ways

Change it for "everyone is a loser" and we have a deal.

 

[the AntiPusher]

Most modern players ( and many older) use semi western (Nole, Rafa) or eastern forehand grips (Roger). Edberg used the old school continental grip, which could be used for both forehand and backhand. Advantage is he did not have to switch grips between sides but lots of downsides too as in limited wrist motion, very little spin, etc...But somehow he made it work.

Edberg must have wrist and forehands at the Popeye level. I cant imagine trying to control a racket from a player putting that much spin on the ball with a Continental grip. I had to switch to Semi Western to handle the spin and dominate the flat ball.

 

[the AntiPusher]

people forget that Stefan was incredibly quick around the court, and had an immense positional IQ. Even after an age of the Big 3, he played a set against Boris in their final match of the Wimbledon trilogy that is in my mind the greatest exposition of serve and volley tennis. It was just the crispness of the volleys, it was the fact that the set up shot forced Boris to put the ball exactly where Edberg went. It was incredible. Mac may well be the most talented volleyer we've ever seen, but Stefan was the BEST

I will slightly disagree. I think John McEnroe had a better volley. I think if Stefan would have played with a wooden racket, his results may not been as good. I think Vitas Gerulaitis was just as talented especially with the wooden racket. What made both so good was their stick volley was usually the finishing shot. Again, its debatable and you folks are bigger admires of Stefan's game than I was. I can respect everyone else opinion. My list is 1. Sampras 2. McEnroe 3. Edberg. Vitas just didnt have the numbers to make the top of the list but man that dude had a beautiful game to watch.



Look at McEnroe.. this is a gift from God. John sees the ball so damn early and reads the spin perfectly.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Change it for "everyone is a loser" and we have a deal.

Can I stretched our friendship Everyone is a loser ( expect Moi )

 

[mrzz]

Can I stretched our friendship Everyone is a loser ( expect Moi )

Our friendship is made of rubber! It survives my sour grapes...
(but I admit I did not get exactly what you meant).

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Our friendship is made of rubber! It survives my sour grapes...
(but I admit I did not get exactly what you meant).

Meaning....Everyone is a loser ( except me) or Moi meaning Me

 

[Federberg]

I will slightly disagree. I think John McEnroe had a better volley. I think if Stefan would have played with a wooden racket, his results may not been as good. I think Vitas Gerulaitis was just as talented especially with the wooden racket. What made both so good was their stick volley was usually the finishing shot. Again, its debatable and you folks are bigger admires of Stefan's game than I was. I can respect everyone else opinion. My list is 1. Sampras 2. McEnroe 3. Edberg. Vitas just didnt have the numbers to make the top of the list but man that dude had a beautiful game to watch.



Look at McEnroe.. this is a gift from God. John sees the ball so damn early and reads the spin perfectly.

I think you missed my point entirely. I'll say it again. I think Mac is the most talented volleyer I've ever seen. And part of the reason I say that is because he had a wooden racquet. But Stefan's volleys, for me, are the pinnacle of what aggressive volleying could be. Not only was he extremely good at volleying but he was the master of the one two. The first volley went somewhere that forced a defensive response. The next volley was terminal. He did that better than anyone I've ever seen. That doesn't mean that on a one off volley I don't think Mac had more talent. I'm saying Stefan Edberg used volleys in a way that was at once more aggressive than anyone else I have ever seen, but he won points with more facility than anyone I've ever seen. And it was a strategy that required a deep understanding of court position, the capabilities of his opponent and the athleticism and speed to get into an anticipated position to deliver a point ending volley

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Just to bring this post back to the present in the mens final Sinner v Zverev for a minute
I also was remembering the Good Old Days, having a wooden racquet and loving my Dunlop Volleys
The post which was a Stand Out to me was,
Murat who now uses his wooden racquet as A Mirror that was just Gold Murat Pure Gold!
I have always been a fan of Edberg, his touch and volleys have always been a Treat, I am not dismissing Mac in any way, he has great hands.

This great stat from Sinner,

With the Wimbledon final in the books ( I did post this earlier, might have gone over looked)
Sinner maintains a streak of 85 consecutive service holds against Zverev? that is just Sic, regardless if you are a Sinner fan or not btw
Also in his SF against Novak he had 1 BP and saved it all match
In the final Zverev had 1 BP and again Sinner saved it, my tennis coach always told me it is the BPs of a match which an important key in a tennis match, how players handle important and pressure moments in a match and Jannik did both in his SF and Final

 

[the AntiPusher]

I think you missed my point entirely. I'll say it again. I think Mac is the most talented volleyer I've ever seen. And part of the reason I say that is because he had a wooden racquet. But Stefan's volleys, for me, are the pinnacle of what aggressive volleying could be. Not only was he extremely good at volleying but he was the master of the one two. The first volley went somewhere that forced a defensive response. The next volley was terminal. He did that better than anyone I've ever seen. That doesn't mean that on a one off volley I don't think Mac had more talent. I'm saying Stefan Edberg used volleys in a way that was at once more aggressive than anyone else I have ever seen, but he won points with more facility than anyone I've ever seen. And it was a strategy that required a deep understanding of court position, the capabilities of his opponent and the athleticism and speed to get into an anticipated position to deliver a point ending volley

no No I didnt not miss your point.. I understand that Stefan's volley was his PLAN A and Plan B. I think Johnny Mac obviously was more talented and to me he was better situational volleyer. Stefan followed the same path to the net which to me was predictable but he got away with it. Mac was a tremendous server and his hands around the net was second to non. Again.. its your opinion I just think if you take the graphite composite material racket out of Stefan's hand and replace it with wood , the results would be dissimilar.

 

[Murat B.]

Just to bring this post back to the present in the mens final Sinner v Zverev for a minute
I also was remembering the Good Old Days, having a wooden racquet and loving my Dunlop Volleys
The post which was a Stand Out to me was,
Murat who now uses his wooden racquet as A Mirror that was just Gold Murat Pure Gold!
I have always been a fan of Edberg, his touch and volleys have always been a Treat, I am not dismissing Mac in any way, he has great hands.

This great stat from Sinner,

With the Wimbledon final in the books ( I did post this earlier, might have gone over looked)
Sinner maintains a streak of 85 consecutive service holds against Zverev? that is just Sic, regardless if you are a Sinner fan or not btw
Also in his SF against Novak he had 1 BP and saved it all match
In the final Zverev had 1 BP and again Sinner saved it, my tennis coach always told me it is the BPs of a match which an important key in a tennis match, how players handle important and pressure moments in a match and Jannik did both in his SF and Final

Here is a really old picture of my mirror racket with my love , Gaby....and a Wilander poster too.

 

[britbox]

no No I didnt not miss your point.. I understand that Stefan's volley was his PLAN A and Plan B. I think Johnny Mac obviously was more talented and to me he was better situational volleyer. Stefan followed the same path to the net which to me was predictable but he got away with it. Mac was a tremendous server and his hands around the net was second to non. Again.. its your opinion I just think if you take the graphite composite material racket out of Stefan's hand and replace it with wood , the results would be dissimilar.

It's Edberg's kicker that gives him that pathway to the net. Possibly one of the great underrated serves.

I guess we'll never truly know about how he'd have managed with wood, but he wouldn't have need to modify his own mechanics much - he's already holding his own with a more continental style grip against players using modern technology - McEnroe didn't reach those heights once the technologies moved along - so you could argue that Edberg would have been even better in the older era. I think the wooden era would have rewarded his serve and volley - it did for everyone else.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Meaning....Everyone is a loser ( except me) or Moi meaning Me

Thanks Mrzz Love You as always

 

[the AntiPusher]

It's Edberg's kicker that gives him that pathway to the net. Possibly one of the great underrated serves.

I guess we'll never truly know about how he'd have managed with wood, but he wouldn't have need to modify his own mechanics much - he's already holding his own with a more continental style grip against players using modern technology - McEnroe didn't reach those heights once the technologies moved along - so you could argue that Edberg would have been even better in the older era. I think the wooden era would have rewarded his serve and volley - it did for everyone else.

Barron.. Let me take you down a rabbit hole. First I agree. Edberg's kicker was legendary and was extremely effective. Let's imagine Stefan playing against Borg and Conners who both had excellent return of serves and was geniuses from the baseline. I think they both would have broken down Stefan's ground strokes once they got the ball in play. It took legends like Mac and Lendl to deal with those two somewhat.. Lendl probably didnt face Prime Borg that much. I think the game dropped a bit when Borg left and the Johnny Mac/Jimbo was at the end of their prime by 1986. The Becker/Edberg era was probably the less talented era in the last 50 years of tennis .. maybe.. Any thoughts?

 

[Fiero425]

Barron.. Let me take you down a rabbit hole. First I agree. Edberg's kicker was legendary and was extremely effective. Let's imagine Stefan playing against Borg and Conners who both had excellent return of serves and was geniuses from the baseline. I think they both would have broken down Stefan's ground strokes once they got the ball in play. It took legends like Mac and Lendl to deal with those two somewhat.. Lendl probably didnt face Prime Borg that much. I think the game dropped a bit when Borg left and the Johnny Mac/Jimbo was at the end of their prime by 1986. The Becker/Edberg era was probably the less talented era in the last 50 years of tennis .. maybe.. Any thoughts?

I have to agree that era w/ Edberg & Becker dominating things was an aberration, but it was enjoyable for me! It took me back to the 70's w/ pure "Serve & Volley" tennis going on; probably the last time it happened! The talent was weak in many ways; Connors, Lendl, Wilander, & McEnroe on the wane! Agassi was still mentally unaware as these 2 Hotties somehow ruled 1989-1991; esp. at Wimbledon!