Through The Associated Press’s Howard Fendrich
Australia’s Melbourne (AP) There are many ways to gauge Jannik Sinner’s dominance beyond just the score. She outplayed and frustrated Alexander Zverev in Sunday’s 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-3 triumph, which gave the 23-year-old Italian a second consecutive Australian Open title.
Sinner had zero break points. or the ten that he amassed. the lead in points that lasted for at least nine strokes, 27–13. Or how Sinner made less unforced errors (27 to 45) and more victories (32 to 25). Sinner ended up at the net after winning 10 of 13 points. Or how, often zipping passing shots out of reach, he only allowed Zverev to go 14 of 27 in that category.
Here’s one more piece of proof: Here’s what Zverev said to Sinner at the trophy ceremony on the court: Without a doubt, you are the world’s greatest player. You’re simply too good, but I was hoped I could compete more today. That is all there is to it.
This is coming from the man who is ranked second, behind Sinner, who has been at the top since last June and isn’t letting it go. Since 2019, when No. 1 Novak Djokovic upset No. 2 Rafael Nadal in straight sets, this was the first Australian Open final between the top two seeds.
Sinner remarked that it’s incredible to accomplish these things.
This includes being the youngest person to win the trophy twice in a row since Jim Courier in 1992–1993, and the first person since Rafael Nadal at the French Open in 2005 and 2006 to win the Grand Slam again a year after winning the first time.
On Sunday, January 26, 2025, in Melbourne, Australia, Jannik Sinner of Italy forehands German player Alexander Zverev in the men’s singles final of the Australian Open tennis tournament. (Photo by Vincent Thian for AP)
Sinner’s record is 80-6 with nine tournament victories since the beginning of 2024, and he has won three of the five major events, including the U.S. Open in September. He has gone 21 games without losing.
It appears that Sinner’s doping issue, which was resolved by a decision that was appealed by the World Anti-Doping Agency, is the only thing that has shadowed his past 12 months. In March of last year, he tested positive twice for trace amounts of anabolic steroids, but he attributed the results to an unintentional exposure involving two of his team members who were later sacked. Sinner was first cleared in August; the WADA appeal hearing is set for April.
Zverev is the seventh player to be 0-3, adding this defeat to his losses in the 2020 U.S. Open and the 2024 French Open. Sinner became the eighth guy in the Open era (which started in 1968) to begin his career 3-0 in Grand Slam finals.
Both of those earlier losses were five-set affairs. This was not a tight contest. Absolutely not.
Zverev stated, “We’re trying to do all the right work.” I simply don’t measure up.
A voice shouted from the audience just before Zverev started talking into a microphone during the trophy ceremony, referring to two of the player’s former girlfriends who had accused him of physical abuse.
There was really only one instance during the game that seemed to have a sense of stress. It happened while Zverev led the second set 5-4 and at love-30 on Sinner’s serve, two points away from taking the set. However, neither a set point nor a break point ever materialized.
After Zverev gave up the next four points, the score was tied at five, and Sinner won the subsequent tiebreaker. It should come as no surprise that he has won 16 of his last 18 set-deciders and went 4-0 in the last two weeks.
Sinner had to overcome Novak Djokovic, who retired one set into his semifinal match against Zverev on Friday due to a torn hamstring, in order to earn his first Slam a year ago. He then overcame a two-set deficit in the final against 2021 U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev.
At the Australian Open tennis competition in Melbourne, Australia, on Sunday, January 26, 2025, German player Alexander Zverev reacts after defeating Italian player Jannik Sinner in the men’s singles final. (Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/AP Photo)
The 6-foot-3 (1.91-meter) Sinner put pressure on this time with an all-around approach that doesn’t seem to have any gaps in it. He uses his long limbs to throw deep groundstrokes, and his sneakers squeak from a sprint to a slide that frequently ends in the splits.
Aside from aces, he excelled in almost every significant way this evening.
Zverev returned serves that were as fast as 138 mph (223 kph), and Sinner’s passing shot gave him the only break of the first set, giving him a 5-4 lead. While speaking to his brother and father, who were situated in the front row of their courtside coaches box, Zverev moved back behind the baseline and shook his head.
After Sinner served out the set at love to prolong his crescendo, with the final note being an ace at 120 mph (194 kph), there was more unfavorable body language. With sagging shoulders, Zverev plodded to his bench and, with a gesture that was more like to frustration than rage, dropped his racket on an equipment bag. Later, it turned into the latter: Zverev whacked one racket on the sideline with a racket after cracking another on the court.
Considering what Sinner was doing on the other side of the net, it makes sense.
Since 2002, Howard Fendrich has written about tennis for the AP. http://apnews.com/author/howard-fendrich is where you can find his stories. See also: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis for more AP tennis
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