Jannik Sinner lifts the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup after defeating Germany's Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-3 in the final of the Australian Open in Melbourne on Sunday. Despite the emphatic win, a doping controversy still hangs over the head of the Italian ace. AFP
MELBOURNE — Jannik Sinner's reserved public persona belies a mature and steely 23-year-old who has shown supreme mental strength to put aside a doping scandal and win another Australian Open.
Sinner's status as Italy's biggest sports star, and the new dominant force in men's tennis, has only gathered pace over the past fortnight in Melbourne.
The world No 1 blew away second seed Alexander Zverev in Sunday's final, 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-3 to claim back-to-back titles in Melbourne. Only three other men have managed the feat at Melbourne Park since the turn of the century — Andre Agassi, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
Sinner offered no let up from the baseline, and did not face a single break point throughout the two-hour, 42-minute encounter en route to becoming the first Italian to lift three Grand Slam trophies.
"We worked a lot to be in this position again. It's an amazing feeling to share this moment with all of you," Sinner said, referring to his coaching team.
He also had words of consolation for Zverev.
"A tough day for you. You're an amazing player. Keep believing in yourself, because I think we, all the players, and the coaches, whoever is involved in the sport, know how strong you are, not only as a player, but also as a person.
"So keep it up. Keep working hard, because we all believe that you can lift one of these very, very soon."
"It sucks standing next to this thing and not being able to touch it," Zverev said, looking longingly at the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup. "Congratulations to Jannik, you deserve it."
Sinner now becomes the youngest man to leave Melbourne Park with the trophy two years in a row since Jim Courier in 1992-93.
It is Sinner's third major title, having also won the US Open last year while dogged by controversy after twice testing positive for traces of the steroid clostebol in March.
With Sunday's triumph, Sinner now owns eight "Big Titles", a combination of Grand Slam championships, trophies at the Nitto ATP Finals and ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, and Olympic singles gold medals. Seven of the Italian's collections at those levels have come since the start of last season.
Still hanging over his head is a World Anti-Doping Agency appeal against his exoneration, with the global body asking for Sinner to be banned for up to two years.
A hearing is scheduled at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in April. He has denied knowingly doping.
"There's been a lot of pressure around him for the last nine months now, since April last year," said his coach Darren Cahill.
"He deals with it as well as anybody that I've ever seen deal with pressure. He's an amazing young man that's been able to put that to one side.
"He has a clear conscience with what's going on. That's the main reason he's been able to go onto the court and walk tall, and have that belief and play with the confidence that he has."
Born in the northern Italian village of Innichen, a stone's throw from the Austrian border, Sinner did not initially appear set for a career in professional tennis.
He was a champion skier as a youngster and still enjoys the sport in the offseason. Sinner was also a keen footballer, playing for a local team as a forward.
But, he decided to commit to tennis and, at age 13, moved 600 kilometers away from his family to Bordighera on the Italian Riviera to start his long march to the elite level of the game.
After a steady grind, Sinner made an emphatic statement that he was, indeed, one of the elite by winning his maiden Grand Slam in Melbourne last year.
It set the tone for an extraordinary 2024 in which he won eight titles, including the US Open and the ATP Finals, with his most striking characteristic being able to carry an extraordinary air of calm on court.
Quiet and reserved, he keeps his personal life away from the spotlight as much as possible, saying very little about his relationship with fellow tennis player Anna Kalinskaya of Russia.
Seen by some as too serious — even icy — the Italian has worked to soften his image in Melbourne, even laughing during some of his interviews, a side of him rarely seen before.
Agencies
