In a vibrant final of the Australian Open, on Sunday, January 28, the Italian Jannik Sinner (4) came back from the Russian Daniil Medvedev (3) after three hours and 43 minutes. His debut in a Grand Slam final makes him the first champion not named Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal or Roger Federer in a decade.
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In a heart-stopping final, Jannik Sinner was the protagonist of the great comeback to beat Daniil Medvedev 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 and 6-3. Thus he won his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open on Sunday, January 28.
At 22 years and 165 days old, he is the youngest tennis player to win the title in the first slam of the season, after the Serbian Djokovic who was proclaimed champion in the 2008 edition, at 20 years and 250 days old.
His victory also makes him the first Italian tennis player to win the title on the banks of the Yarra River and the third to win a slam title. He joined his compatriots Nicola Pietrangeli and Adriano Panatta as major champions.
He also became the sixth tennis player to win the Davis Cup and the Australian Open consecutively. The tennis players who previously achieved this feat were the Americans Arthur Ashe and Jim Courier, the Swedes Stefan Edberg and Mats Wilander, as well as Djokovic with Serbia.
For his part, the 27-year-old Russian Medvedev, nicknamed the “Octopus,” became the first tennis player in history to lose in two Australian Open finals after wasting a two-sets-to-zero lead. His only previous defeat in 51 hard court Grand Slam matches after winning the opening set was at Melbourne Park in the 2022 final.
Seeded third, he entered the contest as the first man since Pete Sampras almost three decades ago to reach the final after multiple comebacks from two sets down. He got off to a fast start to ease the opening set with a double break.
Although Sinner missed an easy forehand pass at the net after a 31-shot rally in the 10th game of the third set, he managed to break Medvedev and win the set, beginning his comeback in the clash that suddenly had a different feel.
The Italian saved a break point at 3-3 in a tense fourth set with a big ace and pounced on Medvedev's serve again late to tie the match at two sets, before a vital break, for a lead. 4-2 in the decisive, put him on the path to victory.
With EFE and Reuters
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