Sinner Repeats!
You have different pressures and different expectations… -Jannik Sinner
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner made tennis news on Sunday with a dominating performance over Alexander Zverev in defense of his Australian Open title.
Sinner’s a Winner
The golden age of tennis has been dimming rapidly, with only 37-year-old Novak Djokovic left of the holy trinity that once also included Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Djokovic abruptly retired from his semifinal match after losing the first set to Alexander Zverev in a dozen tennis games, paving the way for the talented German to land an easy spot in the Aussie Open Finals.
Novak Djokovic has medically retired from the match after his first set against Alexander Zverev.
Zverev advances to the Australian Open men’s singles final. He and the crowd were stunned at the decision. pic.twitter.com/OMSClFDIXf
— ESPN (@espn) January 24, 2025
Although Zverev only had to break a sweat for an hour and 21 minutes until the legend before him bowed out due to a quad injury, the man who awaited him in the finals is currently the most ferocious player on the planet. Jannik Sinner has cemented his status as the face of tennis for now and the foreseeable future after performing a masterclass on Sunday in out dueling his closest rival, No. 2 in the world, Alexander Zverev.
Jannik Sinner… EXCUSE ME?????
You are insane, sir. 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 26, 2025
Before the match began, the tennis odds on this final’s matchup showed Sinner as a -300 favorite, and he played like it. When the dust settled, Jannik Sinner’s stats showed he not only came away with a straight-set 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 victory but never even faced a break point, extending his winning streak at hard-court Grand Slam events to 21 consecutive matches en route to three major titles.
After the match and before the presentation ceremony, Sinner chatted with Zverev. “He was struggling. I could see he was down. I told him he is one of the best players in the world and he should keep pushing. Nobody deserves to hold one of these trophies more than him.
It’s different,” said Sinner when asked about the experience of defending a major title for the first time. “You have different pressures and different expectations. In the semifinals and finals, you have a lot of adrenaline in your body, and it drives you through.”
Awkward Interruption
Tennis rumors abounded as Alexander Zverev was about to give his runner-up speech in front of the packed house at center court before a female heckler twice screamed from the rafters, “Australia believes Olya and Brenda,” a reference to the 27-year-old’s two ex-girlfriends who made domestic violence allegations against him. It was an awkward 45 seconds before security escorted her from the premises and Zverev began his speech.
Someone is screaming at Alexander Zverev as he’s trying to give his runner up speech after losing to Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open final.
Wow.
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 26, 2025
“It sucks standing next to this thing and not being able to touch it,” said Zverev, the world No 2, before turning to Jannik Sinner, the world No 1, to congratulate him. “You’re the best player in the world by far. I was hoping I could be more competitive today, but you’re just too good.”
Zverev after losing to Jannik Sinner in Australian Open final
“It sucks standing next to this thing and not being able to touch it. 😂Congrats to Jannik. You’re the best player in the world by far. I was hoping I could be more competitive today. You’re just too good. You really… pic.twitter.com/bobi9MSTXA
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 26, 2025
Too good is exactly right. Sinner is approaching the pantheon of legendary status after winning 47 of his 50 matches since being installed as the world’s No. 1 player. This places him in the rarified air of Jimmy Connors and Bjorn Borg when formal rankings were established in the 1970s.
At 23 years old, Sinner has enough time to make a run at Djokovic’s 24 Grand Slam titles, but to make it count, he will need two other rivals equal to Federer and Nadal. Twenty-one-year-old Carlos Alcaraz could fill one of those roles, but right now, that third preternatural rival is nowhere on the ATP landscape.
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