Comeback Complete: Jannik Sinner Wins 2024 Australian Open

It was a thrilling match between Sinner and Medvedev. However, the young Italian was on a mission to win. All the hard work he put in during the offseason. The effort to close out the 2023 ATP Tour season. All the heartbreak along the way got him ready for this moment.

Sinner, who has won multiple ATP Masters 1000 events, can call himself a Grand Slam Champion. Not only is Sinner the first Italian to win the Australian Open, he is the youngest winner in a men’s final in Australia since Djokovic won his first Grand Slam title in 2008. We know what Djokovic went on to do. But there is no question that multi-Grand Slam Titles are not out of the question for Sinner.

In addition, it was the first new Australian Open men’s champion 10 years ago when Stan Wawrinka won the 2014 Australian Open.

There is a shift in the men’s game. And it is a good thing. It was the first time since 2005 that Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic appeared in the men’s final of the Australian Open. We have seen Carlos Alcaraz win two majors. One at the US Open and most recently during an epic Wimbledon Final against Djokovic. So, there are some new kids on the block.

Sinner got his third straight win over a top 5 player after defeating Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals, upsetting world number one Djokovic in the semifinals and now Medvedev in the final. Only Djokovic and Federer have done that previously in a major played on hard courts.

It was not easy for Sinner. You knew Medvedev would carry that momentum over into the final after rallying from two sets down to beat Alexander Zverev in the semifinals. Plus, Sinner was looking to back up his win over Djokovic.

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Medvedev came out serving around 80 percent of first serves. He returned to a normal return position, something he never does. Normally, Medvedev is far back, returning off the baseline. This threw off Sinner. You could tell he was nervous in his major final. Medvedev got a couple of early breaks and cruised through the first two sets.

However, Sinner rallied from 5-1 down to win two games to get it to 5-3 and almost got back on serve before Medvedev closed out the set. That momentum Sinner built allowed him to get into the match in the third set. However, Sinner was six points away from losing in straight sets at 4-4. However, Sinner held serve and then broke Medvedev in the third to force a fourth set.

As we have seen Djokovic do so many times, Sinner played that exact role. Medvedev wanted to end points early. So Sinner let his opponent beat himself. He did not force anything. Sinner kept the ball in the court, and Medvedev broke down. The errors piled up, and suddenly, the match was going five sets.

Sinner once again served first to begin the fifth set, putting the pressure on Medvedev’s serve. Again, Medvedev’s body started to break down after over 24 hours combined on the court during the tournament. Sinner broke Medvedev and served to go up 5-2. Medvedev forced Sinner to serve the match out. Sinner was a little tight but, on match point, unleashed the big forehand and drop to the court, securing his first major title.

Medvedev blew a two-set lead for the second time in the Australian Open Final. First, it was Nadal in 2022, and he had three chances to break in a similar spot in the third set. Now, it was 2024 against Jannik Sinner. Medvedev has been on the wrong side of history.

Medvedev had faced either Djokovic or Rafael Nadal in all five of his previous major finals. He beat Djokovic to win the 2021 U.S. Open title but lost all the others.

But the new guard in men’s tennis is here. Carlos Alcaraz was the first, and Jannik Sinner won’t be the last.