World No. 1 Jannik Sinner defended his Australian Open title on Sunday, comfortably defeating Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-3 in the men’s final to secure his third career grand slam win. Just over a year ago, Sinner hadn’t won a grand slam title; he was still a promising youngster, unproven but earmarked for great things. Now, the 23-year-old Italian has three grand slam titles – two at the Australian Open and one at the US Open – and has been the dominant player on the men’s tour since he gained the mantle of world No. 1 last June.
Against Zverev, he was also dominant, becoming just the fourth male player in the last 35 years to win a grand slam final without even conceding a single break point, despite never really playing his best tennis.
But still, a cloud hangs over Sinner’s win since it comes 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. The hearing is set to begin on April 16.
Jannik Sinner defends Australian Open crown to script history
