Fearless Sinner signals end of Big Three
Australian Open champion and Alcaraz have ‘wow’ factor Italian fights back from two sets down to beat Medvedev
The new era of tennis has begun in earnest, after Jannik Sinner came back from a two-set deficit to defeat Daniil Medvedev in Melbourne.
Along with the reigning Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz, Sinner represents a young generation with a real “wow” factor. Unlike the men who grew up in the shadow of the “Big Three” – and thus accumulated a thick layer of scar tissue – these early twentysomethings bring a sense of freshness and fearlessness to the court.
Sinner’s heroic 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 victory made him the first man born after 1987 to win the Australian Open, thus ending a long sequence of Melbourne titles claimed by the golden generation of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Given that Sinner had dethroned Djokovic during Friday’s thrilling semi-final – the serial champion’s first defeat here since 2018 – it felt fitting that he should lift the trophy, and thus succeed the king of Rod Laver Arena.
“What Jannik did today was to show that this young generation are going to fight till the very end,” said Sinner’s Australian coach, Darren Cahill. “I think Carlos is similar, with the excitement level they bring to the game, and their personalities and their likeability. Seeing the young players come through and have success drives each and every one of them.”
A quiet fellow – at least when the microphones are on – Sinner is already a hero among hardcore tennis fans. But he has yet to cross over and reach the floating voters. Even after this victory, he could probably walk up Piccadilly without being recognised.
Yet this is sure to change, because he has no apparent weaknesses. In the words of Nick Kyrgios, who was commentating for Eurosport: “This is going to be such a big leapfrog [for Sinner]. Now he’s got this one, he’s going to be unstoppable.”
In this final, Sinner was outplayed for two sets as Medvedev fizzed low, flat groundstrokes just over the net cord. But he never became defeatist, even though he told his player box: “I am dead,” early in the third set.
Sinner’s big advantage was that he had dropped only one set on the road to this final. Whereas Medvedev had already pulled through three five-setters, and thus came in with more than 20 hours’ matchplay on the clock.
By the bitter end, Medvedev had set a grand-slam record of 24 hours and 17 minutes on court, becoming the first player to exceed a full day cumulatively on court by overtaking the 23 hours and 39 minutes that Alcaraz needed to win the 2022 US Open. At least Alcaraz could soothe his blisters with victory champagne, whereas Medvedev had to settle for the runner-up plate.
What a sickener for Medvedev, who has now played three Australian Open finals in the past four years and lost the lot. (Shades of Andy Murray, who played five finals in seven years here without ever lifting the trophy). Medvedev’s 2021 meeting with Djokovic was a two-hour beatdown, but he also led Nadal by two sets to love in 2022 before running into another improbable comeback. Yet it was not easy to see what Medvedev did wrong, because he kept competing until the last ball. The problem was all those miles on the clock. He could not sustain the same punishing pace throughout three full sets, and once his balllost a little zip and penetration, Sinner was able to turn the tables and start inflicting pain rather than suffering it.
One could see the whole match as a cycling race in tennis form. Medvedev was the breakaway rider who stole a march on his rival, only to be overhauled on the long slog to the mountain top.
Sinner’s player box knew it, too. Early in the fourth set, the microphones picked up Cahill saying: “He’s tired. Keep working him. Give it all you’ve got, mate.”
As the finish line approached, Sinner pushed on until he was winning all the long, physical points. He hit a spectacular forehand down the line – the same shot that completed his semi-final victory over Djokovic – to convert his first match point and thus become the first Italian man to win a major since Adriano Panatta in 1976.
Perhaps it was fitting that this year’s Australian Open should have finished with a five-setter, because this tournament has been the longest slog in tennis history. No fewer than 35 matches went the distance, equalling the record set at the 1983 US Open. An astonishing 61 matches lasted more than three hours, which helps to explain why the average finish time across the fortnight was 12.33am.
Medvedev did more than anyone to keep tournament staff up late, but he was surprisingly chirpy in the interview room afterwards. “At least I got a record in something,” he smiled, in relation to his cumulative time on court. “Let’s take it!”
Asked about the turnaround in the match, he replied: “I didn’t feel like I stopped playing and I didn’t really make bad mistakes. I think what happened is he started to play better, a little bit different tactically, [and] I got a little tired physically.
“It’s very tough to lose in the final. But you have to try to find positives. And the positive is, well, the final is better than the semi-final.”