By Eileen Wang
As a thrilling two weeks of tennis in Melbourne, Australia finally drew to a close on Sunday, January 28th, let’s take a look back on one of the largest stories at this year’s Australian Open — Jannik’s Sinner claims his first Grand Slam singles title!
En route to lifting his first ever trophy at a major, the 22-year-old Italian tennis player faced world No. 18 Karen Khachanov in the fourth round, world No. 5 Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals, and even world No. 1 and 10-time Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic in the semifinals before battling it out with world No. 3 Daniil Medvedev in an intense final. Up until the finals, Sinner smoothly cruised past his opponents, dropping only one set to Djokovic; however, his match on Sunday proved to be different from all his previous ones in the tournament. This time, his victory would be hard-earned.
Playing in his first Grand Slam final, Sinner started off on a shaky note and quickly found himself at a two-set deficit against Medvedev, who had also reached the finals before in 2021 and 2022. Unable to adjust to his opponent’s surprisingly aggressive playing in the first two sets, it seemed as if Sinner’s golden run in Australia was coming to an end. Afterall, Medvedev was just one set away from victory; however, due to his strong will, coolheadedness, and endurance, Sinner was able to make a few adjustments to his game plan and win the third set, marking the turning point in the match. Continuing to bounce back with steady holds of serve and a lowered number of unforced errors, the Italian world No. 4 player ultimately leveled the match by taking the fourth set. Plagued by fatigue, Medvedev, who played more hours of tennis than any other player at a major, was finally defeated by Sinner after 3 hours and 44 minutes in 5 sets. For Sinner, the Australian Open has truly lived up to its nickname as “the happy slam.”
Along with achieving this monumental milestone in his tennis career, he has also made history by becoming the first Italian player, male or female, to win the Australian Open. Additionally, he’s the first player born in the 2000s to win this major in Melbourne and the youngest man to clinch the title since Djokovic in 2008. It’s safe to say that the future of tennis is in good hands!
Congratulations to Jannik Sinner and best of luck to him in upcoming tournaments! We can’t wait to see what he’ll accomplish next in his bright tennis future!
