MELBOURNE, Australia — There’s all types of the way past merely the rating to measure simply how dominant Jannik Sinner was whereas outplaying and irritating Alexander Zverev in the course of the 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-3 victory Sunday that earned the 23-year-old Italian a second consecutive Australian Open championship.
The zero break factors Sinner confronted. Or the ten he amassed. The 27-13 benefit in factors that lasted at the least 9 strokes. Or the best way Sinner amassed extra winners, 32 to 25, and fewer unforced errors, 27 to 45. The way in which Sinner received 10 of 13 factors that ended with him on the web. Or the best way he solely let Zverev go 14-of-27 in that class, incessantly zipping passing photographs out of attain.
And right here is yet one more little bit of proof: Take heed to what Zverev advised Sinner in the course of the on-court trophy ceremony: “You are the perfect participant on the planet, by far. I hoped that I might be extra of a competitor right this moment, however you are simply too good. It is so simple as that.”
That is coming from the man who’s ranked No. 2 behind Sinner, who has held the No. 1 spot since final June and isn’t exhibiting any indicators of relinquishing it. This was the primary Australian Open closing between the boys at No. 1 and No. 2 since 2019, when No. 1 Novak Djokovic defeated No. 2 Rafael Nadal — additionally in straight units.
“It is superb,” Sinner mentioned, “to attain this stuff.”
That features being the youngest man to go away Melbourne Park with the trophy two years in a row since Jim Courier in 1992-93 and the primary man since Nadal on the French Open in 2005 and 2006 to comply with up his first Grand Slam title by repeating because the champion on the identical event a yr later.
Because the begin of 2024, Sinner has received three of the 5 main tournaments, together with the US Open in September, and his file in that span is 80-6 with a complete of 9 event titles. His present unbeaten run covers 21 matches.
The one factor that is clouded the previous 12 months for Sinner, it appears, is a doping case wherein he was cleared by a ruling that was appealed by the World Anti-Doping Company. He examined constructive for a hint quantity of an anabolic steroid twice final March however blamed it on an unintentional publicity involving two members of his staff who’ve since been fired. Sinner initially was exonerated in August; a listening to within the WADA attraction is scheduled for April.
Whereas Sinner turned the eighth man within the Open period (which started in 1968) to start out his profession 3-0 in Grand Slam finals, Zverev is the seventh to be 0-3, including this loss to these on the 2020 US Open and the 2024 French Open.
These earlier setbacks each got here in 5 units. This contest was not that shut. By no means.
“We’re making an attempt to do all the proper work,” Zverev mentioned. “I am simply not adequate.”
Simply earlier than Zverev started talking right into a microphone in the course of the trophy ceremony, a voice cried out from the stands, making reference to 2 of the participant’s ex-girlfriends who accused him of bodily abuse.
Through the match, there really was just one second that felt as if it contained a touch of pressure. It got here when Zverev was two factors from proudly owning the second set, main it 5-4 and at love-30 on Sinner’s serve. However a break level — and a set level — by no means arrived.
Zverev dropped the subsequent 4 factors, making it 5-all, and Sinner emerged with the following tiebreaker. No shock there: He went 4-0 in these set-deciders over the previous two weeks and has grabbed 16 of his previous 18.
A yr in the past, Sinner went by way of much more bother to earn his first Slam, needing to get previous Djokovic — who stop one set into his semifinal towards Zverev on Friday due to a torn hamstring — first, earlier than erasing a two-set deficit within the closing towards 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev.
This time, the 6-foot-3 Sinner utilized stress with an all-around type that doesn’t actually seem to have any holes as his sneakers squeak from a dash to a slide that always practically ends within the splits and he makes use of his lengthy limbs to ship deep groundstrokes.
On this night time, he proved superior in nearly each significant approach, apart from aces.
Returning serves from Zverev that reached 138 mph, Sinner acquired the lone break of the opening set with a passing shot for a 5-4 lead. Zverev walked again behind the baseline, shaking his head whereas speaking to his father and brother, who had been seated within the entrance row of their courtside coaches’ field.
There was extra unfavorable physique language after Sinner served out that set at like to proceed his crescendo, the ultimate be aware an ace at 120 mph. Zverev trudged to his bench, shoulders sagging, and dropped his racket on an gear bag, a gesture that conveyed annoyance greater than anger. Later, it turned the latter: Zverev cracked one racket on the courtroom and used a racket to hit one other on the sideline.
Comprehensible, given what Sinner was doing on the opposite facet of the online.