Dominant Jannik Sinner wins Australian Open again as Alexander Zverev ‘not good enough’ - live
Sinner won his second Australian Open with a 6-3 7-6 (4) 6-3 victory to deny Zverev his grand slam title
Jannik Sinner defeated Alexander Zverev to win the Australian Open for the second year in a row, as the World No 1 added a third grand slam singles title with a 6-3 7-6 6-3 victory to deny the German his first major.
Sinner, 23, produced a dominant display to defend his crown in Melbourne, claiming a 21st consecutive win at the hard-court grand slams after winning both the Australian Open and US Open last season.
Zverev now has three defeats in his three appearances in grand slam finals. The 27-year-old second seed could not hide his frustration as Sinner won the crucial second-set tiebreak, with the Italian earning a fortunate net-cord on 4-4.
Once firmly ahead, Sinner pressed home his advantage. His serving was meticulous and Sinner did not face a single break point as he closed out a ruthless victory to become the first Italian to win three grand slam singles titles.
“Congratulations to Jannik, you deserve it,” Zverev said. “You are the best player in the world by far. I was hoping to be more competitive today but you are too good, it’s as simple as that.” A despondent Zverev also questioned if he was “good enough” to win a first grand slam.
Follow the latest updates from the Australian Open final in our live blog below:
Jannik Sinner not thinking about doping case as he toasts Australian Open win
Jannik Sinner expressed pride in his continued ability to put his ongoing doping case to one side and dominate on court.
The world number one defeated Alexander Zverev 6-3 7-6 (4) 6-3 to successfully defend his Australian Open title and make it three victories in a row at the hard-court grand slams after he also won the US Open.
Just before the fortnight in New York came the shock news that Sinner had failed two doping tests last March but been cleared of blame, only for that decision to be appealed against by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
On the eve of the Australian Open, meanwhile, the Court of Arbitration for Sport announced that the hearing would take place in April, meaning Sinner could potentially miss the year’s next grand slam, the French Open in May, if he is given a ban.
Jannik Sinner not thinking about doping case as he toasts Australian Open win
Third grand slam final defeat for Zverev
Alexander Zverev is the sixth player to lose his first three grand slam finals after Andre Agassi, Goran Ivanisevic, Andy Murray, Dominic Thiem and Casper Ruud.
Today was the first time he had lost in straight-sets, having led Dominic Thiem in the final of the 2020 US Open and Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the 2024 French Open.
Zverev compares Sinner to Djokovic at ‘his best’
Alexander Zverev paid Jannik Sinner many compliments after winning his third grand slam title, the highlight perhaps being compared to “Novak Djokovic at his best”.
“He's very, very similar to Novak when he was at his best,” Zverev said. “They barely miss, like barely miss. They make you think like you have to overhit all the time to have a chance in a rally against them.
“It's very, very difficult to win a point from the back of the court against them, against Novak and him. Move obviously tremendous. They're constantly on the baseline. They don't give you any space. They don't give you any time. Yeah, I mean, just right now too good for me.”
Alexander Zverev heckled over domestic abuse allegations after Australian Open final loss
Alexander Zverev was heckled over domestic abuse allegations as he prepared to give his runners-up speech after losing the Australian Open final to Jannik Sinner.
The German, 27, lost in straight-sets to World No 1 Sinner and remains without a major after a third grand slam final defeat.
He was in tears at the end of the 6-3 7-6 6-3 loss to Sinner and as he stepped up to receive his runners-up trophy a spectator from the crowd yelled: “Australia believes Olya and Brenda.”
Zverev was forced to pause his speech as the spectator repeatedly shouted towards him, before the fan was ejected from the Rod Laver Arena.
The World No 2 has faced domestic abuse allegations from two former partners in recent years. Zverev has repeatedly denied the allegations.
Alexander Zverev heckled over domestic abuse allegations after Australian Open loss
More grand slams for Jannik Sinner?
Jannik Sinner says his next step is to improve his performances at the French Open and Wimbledon after underlining his dominance on the hard-court grand slams.
The World No 1 has won three grand slams at the Australian Open and US Open but has not gone past the semi-finals of the French Open and Wimbledon.
“It’s for sure one thing I always think about, no? You have to be a complete player, not only one surface, but on also the other two.
“I believe last year was not a bad season at all on clay and also on grass. I can do better, yes, but let’s see. I mean, these are questions what I can answer by playing in the future.
“For sure we are aiming to get into this rhythm, into the game style, because it’s a bit different game style, especially on grass because it’s a bit different, the movement, and then we see.”
Jannik Sinner ‘proud’ of way he has handled uncertainty
Jannik Sinner’s recent run is even more impressive given the uncertain future surrounding his two positive doping tests last year. The 23-year-old is set for a hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in April that could lead to a one-year ban.
“I’m very proud, it’s actually tough to describe,” Sinner said. “Many, many things happen off the court, some things you maybe don’t know.
“When I go on the court, even if sometimes it’s very difficult to block these kind of things, I have the team and people who are close to me who trust me. That for me is even more important because I can talk very openly with them.
“When I go on court, I try to focus on the match. Obviously also in the gym, trying to stay into your routine, then you think a bit less about what’s happening. Of course, it’s still a little bit in the back of your mind. I know that I’m in this position now. So nothing I can change.
Jannik Sinner: ‘It was an amazing performance from my side’
”I felt like I was in the beginning of the match serving really well and trying to get into the zone very fast. It was a very high-quality from my side. Second set, got a bit lucky in the tiebreak, as we saw.
“All things considered, amazing run again here in Australia. I’m extremely happy. Sharing this with the team here and family and the people I love, it’s amazing.
“I felt like how I entered the court trying to be quite aggressive in the beginning, this gave me then the confidence that I feel the ball in a certain way.
“When you get up one set, this gives you the confidence. As I said, I had the chances in the second set with couple of break points. He always served very well.
”But it’s trying to stay always there mentally, trying to play every point in the best possible way Tiebreak, got a bit lucky there. But how I handled every situation on the court, not only today in the final, but in general, was very nice.”
Jannik Sinner in ‘different universe’ as Alexander Zverev accepts brutal reality
A despondent Alexander Zverev questioned if he was “good enough” to win a grand slam title as Jannik Sinner won a second Australian Open in a row with a dominant straight-sets win in Melbourne.
Zverev was left to admit that World No 1 Sinner is in a “different universe” at the hard-court grand slams after the Italian won third consecutive major on the surface with a ruthless 6-3 7-6 (4) 6-3 victory.
The 23-year-old Sinner also became just the fourth player in the last 35 years to win a men’s grand slam final without facing a break-point, as Zverev conceded that he was “completely outplayed” and compared the Italian to Novak Djokovic “at his best”.
Jannik Sinner in ‘different universe’ as Alexander Zverev accepts brutal reality
Jannik Sinner in ‘different universe’, admits Alexander Zverev
Alexander Zverev says Jannik Sinner is in a “different universe” to the top-10 players in the world when they meet on hard courts.
“By far the best. I mean, the facts speak for themselves. He's won all the Grand Slams on hard courts since last year.
“I think the facts speak for themselves. He's in a different universe right now to anyone else.
“Today he completely outplayed me. From the back of the court, completely outplayed me. As I said, I'm serving better than him, but that's it.
“He does everything else better than me. He moves better than me. He hits his forehand better than me. He hits his backhand better than me. He returns better than me. He volleys better than me. At the end of the day, tennis has five or six massive shots, like massive factors, and he does four or five of them better than me. That's the reason why he won. He deserved to win today.”
Jannik Sinner’s words to Alexander Zverev after Australian Open
Alexander Zverev reveals that Jannik Sinner told him he is “too good” not to win a grand slam after the German questioned himself after the defeat.
“I was quite down. I was quite emotional also in that stage. I think he saw that,” Zverev said. “He said that I will definitely lift one of those trophies in my career. I'm too good not to. That's his words.
“It was a little bit of a tough moment for me because I really went in the final and also the preparation today, I really thought I had a very good chance because I was feeling good. I was feeling the ball quite well. I was feeling like I can compete.
“So it was just a difficult moment for me. I mean, now for the third time, seeing somebody lift the trophy, me standing next to that is difficult because there's nothing more I want than to be able to hold one of those trophies in my hands.”
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