Australian Open men’s final: Can Alexander Zverev topple defending champion Jannik Sinner for first grand slam title?
Facing Jannik Sinner at a hard-court grand slam is currently perhaps the most daunting prospect in men’s tennis.
The Italian hasn’t suffered defeat at either the Australian Open or US Open since he was beaten in the fourth round in New York in 2023.
His victor that day? His opponent in Sunday’s Australian Open final, Alexander Zverev.
Sinner, who won his maiden grand slam title in Melbourne last year, is enjoying a remarkable 20-game unbeaten run on all hard courts after beating American Ben Shelton in straight sets in Friday’s second semifinal.
In total, Sinner has won 36 of his last 37 matches, his only defeat coming against Carlos Alcaraz in the final of October’s China Open.
The world No. 1 – the youngest player to reach back-to-back Australian Open finals since Pete Sampras in 1995 – has been in imperious form over the fortnight in Melbourne, dropping just two sets en route to his second straight final.
Still only 23 years of age, Sinner is unquestionably the man to beat in Sunday’s final – as he seemingly is most weeks of the tour calendar – which begins at 3:30 a.m. ET.
“It will be a tough match,” Sinner said of Sunday’s final. “We’ve had some very tough matches in the past. Everything can happen.
“He’s an incredible player. He’s looking for his first major. There’s again going to be a lot of tension, but I’m happy to put myself in this position again. Sundays in tournaments are very, very special days, so I’m going to enjoy it.”
Sinner’s success has come against the backdrop of ongoing controversy off the court.
He avoided suspension last year after testing positive for Clostebol, a banned anabolic steroid, in March 2024.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency announced in August that he wasn’t at fault for the incident, but the World Anti-Doping Agency has lodged an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Zverev, a grand slam nearly man
However, if there is one man with the record to suggest he could beat Sinner on Sunday, it’s Zverev.
The pair have met twice at hard-court grand slams, with Zverev winning both matches at the US Open. Sinner beat Zverev at the 2020 French Open in their other grand slam matchup.
Zverev has long been touted as a future grand slam champion, ever since his breakthrough year in 2016 when he won his first ATP title.
However, despite a stacked résumé that includes an Olympic men’s singles gold, two ATP Finals titles and an impressive seven Masters 1,000 triumphs, grand slam glory has so far proven elusive for Zverev.
Sunday will be his third grand slam final, with his two previous defeats coming in five setters against Alcaraz at last year’s French Open and Dominic Thiem at the 2020 US Open, perhaps his most heart-breaking loss to date after squandering a two-set lead.
The German has enjoyed a similarly potent run to Sunday’s final, also dropping just two sets across the two weeks – he will also likely be the fresher of the two players after semifinal opponent Novak Djokovic was forced to retire after one set due to injury.
“It would be nice to win one more set than the first two that I’ve played,” Zverev said.
“Grand slam finals are always difficult. The two best players in the world are playing on that court. I lost twice in in a fifth set, once in a fifth-set tie-break at the US Open.
“So I’ve had my tough losses. I feel like maybe it’s time for me to have some luck in a grand slam final as well.”
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