DOWN THE LINE isn’t your usual tennis newsletter. It digs into the stories the game gives us, finds the angle others miss, and brings them to life with the care they deserve.

This newsletter is the natural extension of PAINTING THE LINES. More depth, more data, more detail. It’s where everything comes together

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FROM PAINTING THE LINES: “IF YOU CAN MEET WITH TRIUMPH AND DISASTER AND TREAT THOSE TWO IMPOSTORS JUST THE SAME” 🎭

The quote that welcomes players onto Centre Court at Wimbledon is taken from If—, the iconic poem by Rudyard Kipling.

And honestly, there couldn’t be a better way to sum up Jannik Sinner’s journey to his fourth Grand Slam final — and his first at Wimbledon.

At Roland Garros, Alcaraz embodied the French Open motto: “Victory belongs to the most tenacious.”

At Wimbledon, Sinner lived up to its own: “If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster and treat those two impostors just the same.”

After the heartbreaking loss in Paris, Jannik picked himself back up. He went back to work, took more hits — like the loss to Bublik in Halle and being pushed to the limit by a brilliant Dimitrov in the quarters — but he kept his head up. And then, in the Final, he defeated his rival Alcaraz on the very grass where Carlos had already conquered twice before. A comeback worthy of a novel.

To even face Alcaraz in the final, Sinner had to get through Djokovic. And by doing so, he ended a seven-year streak of Wimbledon finals featuring the Serbian giant — a symbolic passing of the torch, as Djokovic himself acknowledged both on and off the court. A changing of the guard, even if this new “generation” really comes down to two names.

Once again, sport gave us a story that felt larger than life — filled with moments that stirred something deep, something unforgettable. But it also gave us the numbers. Numbers that tell a different side of the tale: about the match, the tournament, and what kind of player Sinner is becoming.

LINES THAT HIT 💬

Alcaraz’s body language noticeably dipped in the third set, and after getting broken at 4-4, he let his frustration show toward his team in the stands.

TOP PICKS 🔗

• If you’re not Sinner or Alcaraz, forget it: “This isn’t tennis; they’re not human”- Clay Magazine

• 'Only at Wimbledon' moment as stray Champagne cork brings men's final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner to a bizarre halt - TNT Sports

• Cahill and Vagnozzi: "Sinner needed this victory"- Punto de break

CAPTURED 📸

Just the best photo of the tournament: a father and his son.

BY THE NUMBERS 📊

• Jannik Sinner matches Jim Courier with 58 weeks as World No.1 in the ATP rankings.

• Since Djokovic’s win at the 2023 US Open, Sinner and Alcaraz have claimed every other Grand Slam title — 4 for Sinner, 3 for Alcaraz.

• After losing to Sinner in R4 in 2022, Alcaraz had a 20 match winning streak in Wimbledon, only to lose with… Sinner.

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