It's not often that a man is able to follow up his first Grand Slam title by repeating as the champion at the same tournament a year later, which is what Jannik Sinner will be trying to do Sunday when he faces Alexander Zverev in the Australian Open final. (Full Coverage | More Tennis News)
The last time it happened was nearly 20 years ago: Rafael Nadal accomplished that sort of repeat at the 2005 and 2006 French Opens. He turned out OK.
For the No. 1-ranked Sinner, the past year also included the doping case that is still unresolved. He tested positive for a trace amount of an anabolic steroid twice in March, which didn't become public until his exoneration was announced shortly before the start of play at the U.S. Open 바카라 which he won. There is a hearing in the World Anti-Doping Agency's appeal scheduled in April.
바카라He finds playing tennis matches to be his safe place. That's where he can go and do his thing and feel like this is what he knows, this is what he understands, what is what he's good at. It become a home for him to step on to the court and play tennis,바카라 said one of Sinner's two coaches, Darren Cahill, who will leave the team after this season.
바카라There's been a lot of pressure around him for the last nine months now, since April last year. He deals with it as well as anybody that I've ever seen deal with pressure," Cahill said. "He's an amazing young man that's been able to put that to one side. ... He has a clear conscience.바카라
Over these two weeks in Australia, Sinner also dealt with health issues. He got medical attention when he felt dizzy and had an upset stomach during his fourth-round victory against No. 13 Holger Rune, then cramping late in his semifinal win over No. 21 Ben Shelton.
바카라There's a lot of things going on, on and off the court. I try to isolate myself a little bit, trying to be myself on the court. Sometimes it's a bit easier. There are days where it's easier, days where I struggle a little bit more,바카라 said Sinner, a 23-year-old from Italy who can become the youngest man to win consecutive championships at the Australian Open since Jim Courier in 1992-93.
바카라I'm just happy to put myself in this position again,바카라 Sinner said, 바카라to play for a big trophy again.바카라
Standing in his way is No. 2 Zverev, a 27-year-old from Germany who is 0-2 in previous major finals, losing both in five sets 바카라 to Dominic Thiem at the 2020 U.S. Open after taking the first two sets and holding a match point, and to Carlos Alcaraz at last year's French Open after leading by two sets to one. Zverev won his semifinal in Paris last June hours after an out-of-court settlement was announced in Berlin that ended a trial stemming from an ex-girlfriend's accusation of assault during a 2020 argument.
Zverev got his spot in the Australian Open final 바카라 play is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. local time (3:30 a.m. EST) on Sunday 바카라 when 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic stopped playing because of a leg injury just one set into their semifinal on Friday.
This will be the first title match at Rod Laver Arena between the men seeded 1 and 2 since No. 1 Djokovic defeated No. 2 Nadal in 2019.
바카라Jannik has been the best player in the world for the past 12 months,바카라 Zverev said. 바카라There's no doubt about it.바카라
That is not really up for debate.
Sinner went 73-6 in 2024 with eight titles, the most on the ATP Tour since 2016, and is currently on a 20-match winning streak that began late last season.
He is listed as a -275 money-line favorite against Zverev, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
But don't expect Sinner to proclaim that status or be willing to talk about himself in glowing terms.
바카라Back of my head, I also know that I'm 23 years old, and I am not perfect, no? I know that I have things still to improve. I have certain areas where I can get better. That's why we work,바카라 Sinner said. 바카라Every day is a big challenge. Every day you have a different opponent. You try to understand what's happening. Sometimes you have some issues and then trying to understand that whatever works best for that day and trying to go for it.바카라
