Everything changed for Jannik Sinner 12 months ago.
The Italian superstar arrived at last year’s Australian Open without a grand slam title to his name, but having finished the previous season with a flurry.
Jannik Sinner after claiming back-to-back Australian Open titles.Credit: Photo: Eddie Jim
By the end of that fortnight – thanks to a spectacular recovery from two sets down against Daniil Medvedev in the final – Sinner’s legitimacy was cemented as a grand slam champion.
But he was only just getting started.
Sinner went on to snatch the No.1 ranking, win a second major at the US Open, claim seven titles overall, and end the year with an extraordinarily dominant 73-6 record.
Back in Melbourne as the defending champion, the 23-year-old on Sunday night joined tennis royalty with a 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 victory over Germany’s Alexander Zverev that delivered him back-to-back Australian Open titles.
It might not have quite matched the raw emotion of American Madison Keys’ breakthrough a night earlier, but for Sinner this was another significant moment.
He paid tribute to his team, including Australian coach Darren Cahill, who is set to part ways with Sinner at season’s end.
“We worked a lot to be again in this position. It’s an amazing feeling to share this moment with all of you,” Sinner said.
“I know also a part of the team is at home and my family and everyone, but it is amazing to achieve these things.
“And I know Darren, it’s probably your last Australian Open as a coach … and I’m very, very happy to share this trophy with you.
“Everything started a little bit when I made my whole change to Simone [Vagnozzi], and I think you are an amazing combination of coaches, and obviously the physical [trainer] and physio – I’m very, very happy to have you all here.”
The defeat was Zverev’s third in as many major finals, but he will rue the events late in the second set when he was on the cusp of levelling the match.
With Sinner serving to try to force a tie-break, he double-faulted then slipped to 30-all when he dumped an attempted drop shot into the net.
Unperturbed, he went for another drop shot on the next point as both players scrambled back and forth on the best rally of the night, eventually ending with Sinner striking a down-the-line backhand past Zverev at the net.
Sinner escaped that game before the rivals traded mini-breaks as the tension soared.
Then, with the tiebreak locked at four-all, a Sinner forehand took a friendly bounce off the net and dropped over for a winner – securing him a 5-4 lead, with two serves to come, in a crushing blow for the German.
Sinner cruised to a two-sets-to-love lead moments later, then poured on further pain with another break of serve in the sixth game of the third set.
Zverev had some half-chances after that, but could never break through, much like the rest of his night.
“It sucks standing here next to this [trophy] and not being able to touch it, to be honest,” Zverev said, after a brief pause when he was heckled by a member of the crowd about the domestic violence allegations against him that he has strenuously denied.
“Congratulations to Jannik. You more than deserve it. You are the best player in the world by far. I was hoping that I could be more of a competitor today, but you were just too good.”
Among the tennis greats to win consecutive men’s singles championships in Melbourne are Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, Ivan Lendl, Stefan Edberg and Mats Wilander.
Sinner continues to win despite dealing with the impending appeal into his doping case, which will be held in April.
He twice tested positive to banned substance clostebol within days of each other in March, only for the sport’s integrity unit to clear him of any wrongdoing five months later.
But the World Anti-Doping Agency’s appeal to sport’s highest court means there is still uncertainty about his future as it pushes for a ban.
Sinner admitted after his semi-final win over Ben Shelton that he has days where his off-court challenges become a struggle – and he has looked vulnerable at times in the past fortnight.
He fell ill ahead of his fourth-round clash with Holger Rune, then baked in Melbourne’s heat, but still emerged a four-set victor.
Australian tennis coach Darren Cahill (far right) is embraced by Sinner.Credit: Eddie Jim
Sinner’s cramping legs also betrayed him with the finish line in sight against Shelton. The world No.1 won again.
He even dropped the first set to 173rd-ranked Australian wildcard Tristan Schoolkate in the second round.
But none of that mattered on Sunday night.
The final did not feature many spectacular highlights or rallies, but was another example of the ruthless efficiency that has helped Sinner ascend world tennis.
He looked sharp from the first ball, holding serve easily before turning the screws on Zverev, who staved off break points in the fourth game, but could not hold him out four games later.
Sinner had chances to take complete control when he reduced Zverev to 15-40 in the third game of the second set, only for the German to wriggle out of trouble then begin to thrive.
That made things interesting the longer the second set went, but the big moments all went in Sinner’s favour as he finished the final without facing a single break point.
