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- By Jonathan Jurejko
- BBC Sport at Melbourne Park
Image source, fake images
Jannik Sinner is the youngest player to win the Australian Open men’s title since Novak Djokovic in 2008.
Jannik Sinner clinched his long-promised Grand Slam title with an extraordinary comeback to beat Daniil Medvedev in the Australian Open final.
Italian Sinner, 22, trailed two sets before recovering to win 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 in his first major final.
Sinner, the fourth seed, initially could not cope with the Russian’s pace, but prevailed as the competition progressed.
It was another bitter experience for Medvedev, who also blew a two-set lead against Rafael Nadal in the 2022 final.
A first-time champion in Melbourne was guaranteed after Sinner eliminated ten-time champion Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals.
Sinner made sure his name appeared on the trophy, fulfilling the talent that many had predicted would lead to a Grand Slam triumph, after an epic match that lasted almost four hours.
Third seed Medvedev has lost five of his six major finals, including back-to-back finals to Djokovic in 2021 and Nadal in 2022 at Melbourne Park.
Sinner claimed victory with a forehand winner down the line, falling back on the baseline in celebration.
Medvedev trudged around the net to congratulate Sinner before Sinner punched his heart on his way to celebrate with his team.
Looking heartbroken as he tried to process the loss while sitting in his chair, Medvedev managed to give the crowd a thumbs up as they applauded his efforts.
“It hurts to lose in the final, but probably being in the final is better than losing before,” Medvedev said.
“I always want to win and I guess I’ll have to try harder next time.”
Medvedev, the marathon runner, runs out of strength
Many players with experience in a Grand Slam final have spoken about how different the occasion can be, especially if it is your first time, and how potentially overwhelming it can be.
Medvedev, whose only major win came at the 2021 US Open, hoped his greater experience in these situations would work against Sinner.
While Sinner didn’t seem to be affected by nerves, Medvedev simply smothered him with an offensive approach in the first two sets, which turned out to be a smart strategy.
In the end, his loss came down to resilience, and perhaps some mental scars from the loss to Nadal on the same stage.
Medvedev spent almost six more hours on court during the Melbourne fortnight than his younger opponent.
Three times he had to outlast his opponents in five-set matches and twice he fought back from two sets down, including a notable semi-final against German sixth seed Alexander Zverev.
Before the final, Medvedev talked about Sinner having the physical advantage and knew he would have to start fast to maximize his chances.
That was exactly what he managed to do.
However, he was unable to maintain the pace and ferocity of his groundstrokes, looking increasingly tired as Sinner fought back.