World No.1 Jannik Sinner won the first grand slam of 2025 to continue his remarkable rise, beating Alexander Zverev inside three sets in Sunday's Australian Open final in Melbourne
Image: Andy Cheung/Getty Images)
Jannik Sinner successfully defended his Australian Open title by dominating the final against a frustrated Alexander Zverev.
World No.1 Sinner needed just three sets to win the best-of-five showpiece in Melbourne, a far cry from coming from two sets down against Daniil Medvedev to lift the trophy in 2024. The Italian claimed a 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 victory at the Rod Laver Arena, extending his winning run at the hard-court grand slams to 21 matches, having won the Australian Open and US Open titles last season.
German Zverev looked dejected throughout the closing stages, furiously throwing his racket down after losing the second set. The 27-year-old has lost all three of his grand slam finals, as the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup evaded him.
Sinner, 23, failed two drug tests last year but was cleared of any wrongdoing by the International Tennis Integrity Agency, who accepted his explanation of unintentional contamination. There is, however, an appeal which could see him banned for a minimum of three months and maximum of two years.
Sinner's success makes him only the fifth player in the Open Era to win three consecutive grand slams on hard courts and the first since Novak Djokovic in 2015. It was Djokovic who Zverev overcame in the semi-final, with the legendary Serbian forced to pull out after losing the first set due to injury.
World No.2 Zverev looked a shadow of himself, with his body language noticeably negative. It was a largely underwhelming final, with the crowd struggling to feed off the lack of excitement given Sinner's dominance.
The error-ridden second set did go to a tiebreak, although Zverev failed to level the scores. Sinner, the youngest man to defend his AO crown since Jim Courier in 1993, is the dominant player on hard courts right now but is yet to win a grand slam on clay or grass.
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Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)Before making his runners-up speech, Zverev had to pause due to a protester in the crowd, having been booed and jeered by some fans throughout the final. Zverev's trial over domestic abuse allegations made by his former girlfriend was discontinued in June 2024 after a settlement was made outside of court.
He was given a penalty order in October 2023 and fined €450,000 (£390,000) after being accused of physically abusing his ex-partner, who he has a child with. Zverev has always denied the claims.
He admitted that 'it really sucks' to stand so close to the trophy and not be able to hold it, pitifully adding: "I'm just not good enough." Sinner, meanwhile, began his speech by saying: "It's an an amazing feeling."