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Italian defeats Medvedev in thriller to capture maiden major
January 28, 2024
Jannik Sinner falls to the court after beating Daniil Medvedev for his maiden Grand Slam crown at the Australian Open.Daniel Pockett/Getty Images
Jannik Sinner falls to the court after beating Daniil Medvedev for his maiden Grand Slam crown at the Australian Open.
By Sam Jacot
Jannik Sinner forged a stunning comeback to reach Grand Slam glory Sunday in Melbourne.

The 22-year-old fourth seed rallied from two sets down to register a 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 triumph against Daniil Medvedev and lift his maiden major trophy at the Australian Open. Sinner roared back after Medvedev’s red-hot start inside Rod Laver Arena to clinch a three-hour, 44-minute triumph, his fourth consecutive tour-level win against his rival.


With his win, Sinner became the first Italian man to win a Slam since Adriano Panatta in 1976 and just the third Italian man in history. The World No. 4, who lost just one set en route to the final, ended Novak Djokovic’s 33-match winning streak at the AO in the semi-final and after beating Medvedev has now won 20 of his past 21 tour-level matches. The 22-year-old has also won 10 of his past 11 matches against Top 5 opponents after beating Medvedev.

"I am very proud," Sinner said. "It was a very tough match. He started off really well, he moved me around the court. I could not make my game plan work but somehow in the third set I was looking for the small chances, which I used. The match changed and I am really happy with how I corrected it. There are so many emotions right now. I have to sit down and process it but an unbeliveable feeling."

The World No. 4 collapsed to the floor following match point, before he returned to his feet to embrace to roar from the crowd. Visibly emotional, he climbed into his box to hug coaches Simone Vagnozzi and Darren Cahill.

"Thanks [to] my team," Sinner said during the trophy ceremony. "Everyone who is in the box and watching from home, who works with me. We are trying to get better everyday and even during the tournament, trying to get stronger and understand the situation a little bit better. It is not easy as I am still a little bit young but I want to thank everyone."

<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/jann ... ew'>Jannik Sinner</a>
Photo Credit: Getty Images
It was a cruel twist of fate for Medvedev, who twice came back from two sets down to reach the championship match but was unable to prevent an inspired Sinner from doing the same with the trophy on the line. Now 1-5 in Grand Slam finals, Medvedev missed the chance to become the sixth active player to win multiple major singles titles and the opportunity to leapfrog Carlos Alcaraz into No. 2 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Sinner is just the second player in the Open Era to rally from two sets down in the Australian Open final and lift the trophy. The other was Rafael Nadal, who defeated Medvedev from a two-sets-to-love deficit in 2022.

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The Italian looked the fresher of the two players as the match wore on, likely a reflection of the fact he dropped just one set en route to the final compared to Medvedev’s eight. Sinner appeared to have no answer to his opponent’s aggressive tactics in the opening two sets but increasingly used his consistent, powerful hitting to dictate rallies and grind the third seed down.

The fourth seed hit his backhand down the line with frequent success in the fourth and fifth sets and slowly pushed Medvedev back in the decider, with the third seed competing in his 31st set of the hard-court event. Sinner thundered 14 aces, hit 50 winners and broke Medvedev’s serve four times to become the first Italian champion in tournament history.

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Sinner has improved to 4-6 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series against Medvedev, while he has won three of the past six events he has played dating back to last October. The 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals champion also helped guide Italy to the Davis Cup trophy in November.

"I wish everyone could have my parents as they let me choose what I wanted when younger," Sinner said. "I played other sports and they never put pressure on me and I wish this freedom is as possible for as many young kids as possible, so thank you to my parents."


Set One
Medvedev flew out of the blocks in Melbourne to take early control. He stood closer to the baseline than his usual deep-lying position throughout the first set to take time away from Sinner, who struggled to hit at his free-flowing best. The World No. 3 broke Sinner's serve in the third game and was then strong on serve, winning 84 per cent (16/19) of points on his first delivery to move ahead.

Set Two
Medvedev continued to go on the attack in the second set, blasting winners off both wings as he frequently made the first move in rallies. Sinner had been broken just twice en route to the final but was constantly rushed on serve by the 27-year-old, who took the ball early. The World No. 3 normally likes to hold a deep-court position and soak up pressure in lengthy baseline exchanges. However, his opposite tactic of playing front-foot tennis has caused Sinner issues throughout the first two sets, with Medvedev hitting 23 winners during the 85-minutes they have been on court.

Medvedev led 5-1 in the second set but was pegged back to 5-3, with Sinner forcing a break point on Medvedev's serve when he was trying to serve the set out. The third seed saved the break point, though, before holding to extend his advantage.

Two years ago, Medvedev led Rafael Nadal by two sets in the final before falling in five. Sinner will hope to cling onto that as he looks to turn around the match.

Set Three
Sinner started the third set with more authority and crucially held serve early on, something he was unable to do in the first two sets. The Italian did not face a break point in the set and started to force Medvedev deeper with his pace of shot. He held from deuce at 4-4, before breaking immediately after to give himself a foothold in the match after two hours and 11 minutes.

Set Four
Sinner forced Medvedev further and further back in the fourth set and was the one who began to really dictate, finding regular success with his backhand down the line. He was forced to dig deep in the sixth game of the set, fending off a break point with an ace. He then upped his tempo again in the closing stages of the set, backing up pinpoint serving with heavy groundstrokes to force a decider. Sinner struck 15 winners in the set.

Set Five
The Italian continued to go after the ball in the fifth set and was roared on by a vocal crowd. Sinner notched 13 winners in the set and broke Medvedev’s serve in the eighth game by nailing a forehand winner into the open court after a deep cross-court return pushed the 27-year-old back. He then closed out on serve to earn the biggest win of his life.

Did You Know?
Sinner is the 27th man in the Open Era to lift the Australian Open trophy and the first new men’s champion since Stan Wawrinka in 2014. His Melbourne victory comes after a highly successful six months, during which he also lifted his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Toronto and reached the title match at the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals.

Only eighth player to rally from two sets down in major final (Open Era)
January 28, 2024
Jannik Sinner rallies past Daniil Medvedev in the Australian Open final.Julian Finney/Getty Images
Jannik Sinner rallies past Daniil Medvedev in the Australian Open final.
By ATP Staff
Jannik Sinner on Sunday became just the second player in the Open Era to rally from two sets down in the Australian Open final and lift the trophy.

Both instances have come against Daniil Medvedev. In 2022, Rafael Nadal surged past Medvedev 2-6, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5. Sinner defeated him 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3.



It is only the eighth time in the Open Era that there has been a two-set comeback in a major final. Four of those recoveries have come since 2020.


Two-set comebacks in major finals (Open Era)

Tournament Winner Finalist
1974 Roland Garros Bjorn Borg Manuel Orantes
1984 Roland Garros Ivan Lendl John McEnroe
1999 Roland Garros Andre Agassi Andrei Medvedev
2004 Roland Garros Gaston Gaudio Guillermo Coria
2020 US Open Dominic Thiem Alexander Zverev
2021 Roland Garros Novak Djokovic Stefanos Tsitsipas
2022 Australian Open Rafael Nadal Daniil Medvedev
2024 Australian Open Jannik Sinner Daniil Medvedev
Sinner is the fifth man to win his first Grand Slam singles title after trailing two sets to none in the championship match. The other players who have done so are Bjorn Borg (1974 Roland Garros), Ivan Lendl (1984 Roland Garros), Gaston Gaudio (2004 Roland Garros) and Dominic Thiem (2020 US Open).

The Italian Sinner had previously only made one two-set comeback in his career, and it also came at the Australian Open. He defeated Marton Fucsovics 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-0 in the third round at Melbourne Park two years ago.

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Medvedev is the only player in the Open Era who has lost two Grand Slam singles finals from two sets up. He was trying to become the first player in the Open Era to earn four five-set victories en route to a major trophy.

Find out more about the team behind the Italian star
January 28, 2024

By Andy West
Editor's note: this story was first published on 27 September, 2023.

From teen prodigy to established Top 10 star, Jannik Sinner has become one of the most exciting young players on the ATP Tour.

Yet the story of the 22-year-old’s success is far from a one-man show, and for the 2023 season he has been accompanied at tournaments by any of four regular team members – coaches Simone Vagnozzi and Darren Cahill, physio Giacomo Naldi and fitness coach Umberto Ferrara.

The ATP Tour caught up with Team Sinner to find out more about the inner workings of the eight-time tour-level champion’s quest to reach the very top of the game.

<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/jann ... ew'>Jannik Sinner</a> & His Team

Jannik Sinner
“I would describe my team as nice people, happy people,” Sinner told the ATP Tour earlier this year. “Everyone knows very well what he has to do. I feel good with them and lucky to have them, so I think it is a very good team.”

Different coaches bring different ideas to the table. Sinner believes his open-mindedness to learn from the combined experience of Vagnozzi and Cahill, as well as physical specialists Naldi and Ferrara, is key to his continued development.

“Everyone is very important for me because for me it's sometimes also good to mix it up a little bit,” said Sinner. “You don't go to every tournament with the same people, but to have different voices sometimes, it's very good. I think everyone is very important for me, because also with two different tennis coaches sometimes to have new things coming, you learn new things.”

<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/jann ... ew'>Jannik Sinner</a>

It isn’t just on the court where Sinner feels the benefit of his entourage, which also helps him stay relaxed amid the hectic ATP Tour schedule. He enjoys playing cards, watching football and basketball or going go-karting with his team, and also cites his entourage as key pillars of mental and emotional support.

“When I ask someone to join my team it's not only if they are the best in their work but also how I feel with them,” said Sinner. “For me that is very important because we spend not only the time when we work together, but also at dinner and in the morning.

“I see more of them than my family, so you have to feel very comfortable. They also have to understand my problems, as I sometimes have to understand their problems even if they are a little bit older than I am. It is just important to talk about everything very openly.”

Simone Vagnozzi: Coach
Described by his fellow coach Cahill as “the one that’s really steering the ship”, Vagnozzi has worked with Sinner since February 2022. The Italian has been aware of his countryman Sinner’s potential for considerably longer, however, and believes the 22-year-old has the work ethic to match his prodigious talent.

“I’ve known Jannik from when he was 14. He played against one of my junior players, so I saw him for the first time there,” Vagnozzi told the ATP Tour. “We met a lot of times at tournaments when I coached [Marco] Cecchinato and [Stefano] Travaglia.

“It's really nice to coach him because he's a really funny guy. He has a really good character. It's easy to coach Jannik also because he wants to improve a lot and go on the court always with a smile and everything, so for a coach it’s really good.”

<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/simo ... ew'>Simone Vagnozzi</a>

Vagnozzi takes the lead on the day-to-day coaching of Sinner after the Italian has been physically prepared and warmed up by Naldi and Ferrara. Vagnozzi works in tandem with Cahill, who possesses vast experience coaching top players (including former ATP World No. 1s Andre Agassi and Lleyton Hewitt) and particularly focusses on helping their charge with the mental side of the game.

“Normally we are two coaches on the team, me and Darren Cahill,” explained Vagnozzi. “Sometimes we are together, sometimes we are alone with Jannik. Normally I do the technical stuff on the court. [Giacomo and Umberto] do the physical stuff before, then we go to the court and play for one hour and a half, normally with another player. We play some points, do some drills, and in the afternoon, we do one hour of technique. Serve, volley, slice. Normally this is the routine.”

Vagnozzi relishes working with a coach as highly regarded as Cahill and believes that the wider team assembled by Sinner is a good foundation to help him push on to greater things.

“The relationship is really good. Darren is a really nice person and also has an unbelievable [work record],” said Vagnozzi. “Umberto the fitness coach I’ve known for many years because we worked together with Cecchinato and Travaglia. The physio Giacomo is new, but he is a really nice guy, young. Right now, everything is working well.”

Vagnozzi is certainly in no doubt of Sinner’s desire to rise to the top of the game. He named Sinner as the most competitive member of the team, even when it comes to card games or fun challenges that he and Cahill set on the practice court.

“Jannik wants to win everything,” said Vagnozzi. “Just yesterday we lost 20 bucks each, Darren and I, because he hit the ball can with his serve on the first try. If we say to him, ‘You get 20 Euros if you do it the first time and 15 Euros if you do it on the second’, [he always] does it on the first!”

Darren Cahill: Coach
One of the most respected coaches in the game, Cahill is clear as to why he decided to join Team Sinner.

“I think that there are a lot of young players at the moment on the men's Tour that are exciting to watch and certainly exciting to work with,” said Cahill. “Jannik is one of those players… He works incredibly hard, he has great discipline. He's a good kid off the court, his family's awesome and he's been well brought up, he's got his feet firmly planted on the ground, he's respectful, and he believes.

“He believes that one day the ultimate success will come to him and he knows that you don't get there without a lot of hard work. He's prepared to do the hard work.”

<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/darr ... ew'>Darren Cahill</a>

With Vagnozzi already in place as a full-time coach, Sinner brought Cahill on board in June 2022 with the belief that the Australian could add to his development.

“My role is more about the experience and how to help him mentally in these big moments, and to make sure that we're working on the right stuff that eventually is going to get him to the place we want to be,” explained Cahill. “To help Umberto and Giacomo [as well] and work out when we need to practise for an extra 45 minutes, or when it's good to send him back to the hotel to rest.

“It’s just the little things that make a big difference in a player's career, and that's kind of my role, more of an overseer of the team. So far, it's been really enjoyable, and I love it.”

Like Vagnozzi, Sinner’s desire to win is something that impresses Cahill, even if the Italian occasionally leaves him with lighter pockets when things get competitive off the court.

“We have lots of laughs,” said Cahill. “We play lots of games against each other. Jannik is incredibly competitive, whether we're playing cards or on the go-karts, or doing anything outside of tennis, he wants to win, and win badly. I think at times he's more concerned with taking five Euros off me than he is about winning a $20,000 paycheque. He cares more about five Euros, winning it off me, and takes great satisfaction when he sees me taking it out of the wallet to give it to him as well.

“He's a funny guy, a very funny kid. He makes it relaxing to be around. So far it's been a pleasure to work with him. Hopefully he says the same about me, but it's been great fun.”

Giacomo Naldi: Physio
Sinner is known for his electric movement along the baseline, something that he has previously attributed in part to the fact he was one of Italy’s top young skiers before he prioritised tennis. The man responsible for keeping Sinner’s body ready to race around the court is his physiotherapist, Naldi, the newest addition to the team.

“I've been working with Jannik since February,” said Naldi. “I'm from Bologna. I met Jannik in October of last year. They came to my clinic because he injured his ankle. We worked together for one week and then at the end of the year, they asked me if I wanted to join the team because their physio changed jobs. I decided to join them and I'm very happy to be with them.”

Giacomo Naldi

Naldi works closely with fitness coach Ferrara to ensure Sinner is ready to produce his best on court. His job is particularly important for the Italian star’s recovery, a crucial aspect to professional tennis given the tournaments and matches often come thick and fast.

“Our daily routine is composed of a pre-training section, which means some mobility, some preventive exercises,” said Naldi. “Me and [Umberto] in particular. My job is to work on his feet doing taping and his knee, some nice mobility and something for his body before he trains with the trainer and before the practice.

“The main part of my job is after a match or practice because I work with his muscles. So I do a massage, mobility [exercises] again, and also some osteopathic techniques, because I am also an osteopath and I try to do whatever he needs to recover his body.”

It was also Naldi who introduced the group to one its favourite off-court activities — the card game Buraco — a development that roused Sinner’s superstitious side.

“Since February when they learned to play, Jannik wants to play every day,” said Naldi. “The first time we played he won the tournament [in Montpellier], so now he wants to play every day.”

Umberto Ferrara: Fitness Coach
Since June 2022 it has been Ferrara, the fitness coach, who is responsible for helping Sinner reach his peak physical state for competition. Despite being a player who is known for his speed around court, Ferrara believes there is more to come from the Italian as he looks to make his mark at the top of the game.

“He is a very good athlete,” said Ferrara. “He has improved in the last year, and I think he must improve a lot in the two or three next years. But actually, he is a good athlete.”

Umberto Ferrara

Like Naldi, Ferrara has a standard routine to his day working with Sinner, but has to remain flexible depending on how the Italian’s body handles his on-court exertions.

“We start in the morning with the exercise for mobility,” explains Ferrara. “Then we have a lot of exercises to ‘prehab’ for the injury that Jannik has had in the past on the ankles. Then we follow the routine about strength and speed, to move better. That's it, but every day we change a little bit because it's dependent on the state or shape of Jannik.”

Ferrara’s hard work played a role in enabling Sinner to become an ATP Masters 1000 champion for the first time in August in Toronto. That moment stands out for the fitness coach as a highlight of his time on Team Sinner. Ferrara also cherishes the importance of the team’s efforts in helping the Italian overcome tougher moments in his career.

“The best memory is the win in Toronto for sure, but I also like the times when we finish the rehab after an injury and we restart playing playing and practising,” said Ferrara. “For me these are very good moments.”

Italian is a first-time major champion
January 28, 2024
Jannik Sinner celebrates his Australian Open title with his team.Daniel Pockett/Getty Images
Jannik Sinner celebrates his Australian Open title with his team.
By ATP Staff
Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek and Rod Laver were among the first stars who congratulated Jannik Sinner on winning the Australian Open title.

Sinner rallied from two sets down on Sunday to defeat Daniil Medvedev, becoming just the second player in the Open Era to accomplish the feat in an Australian Open championship match.

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“I am so happy for you Jannik!” Alcaraz tweeted. “You deserve it more than anyone! Enjoy the moment my friend! ”