Mumbai: The importance of Jannik Sinner's landing the largest cherry in his Grand Slam basket, which was heavily laden with four fruits, may be revealed by peeling back multiple layers. In the words of his coach Darren Cahill, "he needed the win" on Sunday.

Not only because of what transpired four Sundays ago, and the way in which Sinner was able to move past the trauma of Paris to win in London so soon. Or perhaps it was because Sinner had at last made his presence known in the most thrilling rivalry in modern tennis, which had been frozen against a red-hot Carlos Alcaraz over their previous five encounters.

However, it has also established his growing talent as an all-court champion, which is perhaps even more important in the career route that would define the legacy of the Italian.

His hard court record was already fairly strong even before the 23-year-old reached unparalleled heights in the global rankings and highlighted his Grand Slam-winning pedigree at the 2024 Australian Open. His progress would often be slowed down by the rough surfaces.

Regardless of the surface, Alcaraz, in the meanwhile, was in the fast lane. At the 2024 French Open, which took place after Sinner's first major victory, the Spaniard became the youngest man at the age of 21 to ever win a Grand Slam tournament on all three surfaces.

Alcaraz was a magician on the whole court. A bully in hard court is Sinner. Even a year later, Sinner might still be that, but he's not only that.

Sinner has only won six Slams since his first at the 2024 Australian Open; he has now finished the entire set of finals by winning the 2024 US Open and 2025 Wimbledon championships, as well as reaching the final of the 2025 French Open. According to the International Tennis Federation, it's the shortest interval between making your debut in a final and making all four appearances across the three surfaces. Jim Courier, the former record holder, arrived at this point in his ninth attempt. Roger Federer in his eleventh, Novak Djokovic in his eighteenth, and Rafael Nadal in his twentieth. Alcaraz has not yet reached the Australian Open final.

Currently, someone else is advancing in clay and grass in the fast lane.

"Hard court is my favorite surface, and I've won the majority of my titles there, of course." However, after defeating Alcaraz on Sunday, Sinner remarked, "But in my mind, I also know that I can play well on other surfaces."

Let's not forget that the current champion of the US Open, Australian Open, and Wimbledon was just one point away from also taking the French Open.

"There was no better clay court match than the one he played there (in the final against Alcaraz). As a result, Cahill stated that he was aware that he was getting better at tennis.

Sinner stated that until this year, he didn't feel physically ready to handle the demands of competing for titles on clay. He always believed he could perform well on grass.

“I knew that I could possibly play well here (grass) at the start of my career since my groundstrokes are fairly flat and the ball passes through,” he said.

On Sunday, the groundstrokes went through without a hitch. Sinner's baseline play is technically precise, but he even had the bravery to switch things up against Alcaraz. Against a serial artisan, Sinner experimented with the drop shot early on and even advanced to the net when he thought Alcaraz was retreating in the exchange. It had varying degrees of success, but it demonstrated his readiness to adapt to the requirements of the surface and the opponent's playing style.

As Cahill disclosed, that opponent is the one Sinner watches play more than any other player on the tour. Two young adults are being pushed to their breaking point by this rivalry, which is also helping them grow.

"Carlos's growth fascinates and motivates him," Cahill stated. "He's urging us as coaches to make sure he's improving as well."

This season has demonstrated how much he has improved playing on surfaces that intrigue Alcaraz's game. It's just as intriguing how much Sinner considers improving his tennis skills.

Just moments after realizing his dream of hoisting the Wimbledon trophy, the Italian was discussing aspects of the match in which he still needs to improve with Alcaraz.

"In a few areas, I thought he outperformed me. So that's something we'll improve and get ready for. Because he's coming for us again," he stated.

But for the time being, he has won his first Wimbledon championship and his first Slam that wasn't on a hard surface.

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