mtenis.com.pl

Brain Game analyses the championship match
January 28, 2024
Jannik Sinner defeats Daniil Medvedev in five sets in the Australian Open final.Daniel Pockett/Getty Images
Jannik Sinner defeats Daniil Medvedev in five sets in the Australian Open final.
By Craig O'Shannessy
Daniil Medvedev led Jannik Sinner 6-3, 5-1, 15/15 on serve. Until this innocuous moment, he was in complete control of the Australian Open men’s singles final.

Medvedev then dumped a Serve +1 forehand in the net, and things started sliding away from him in a hurry. His 22-year-old Italian opponent never looked back to record a 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 victory to notch his first Grand Slam title.

Medvedev barely held on to win the second set, with the writing on the wall in the last couple of games of set two. Sinner suddenly found his mojo and wasn’t missing. In the blink of an eye, Medvedev went from dominating rallies to barely hanging on in the point. Sinner finally relaxed enough to hit the ball. Medvedev never found that freedom again in the match.

You May Also Like:Sinner rallies from two sets down to win Australian Open title
Baseline Points Won
Sinner started slowly in the critical baseline exchanges and always looked to be the one trying to force a shot into a location where it didn’t really belong. Then, all of a sudden, things flipped, and you got the feeling that Sinner couldn’t miss, and Medvedev was just a shot away from dumping a groundstroke into the net.

Baseline Points Won Per Set

Set 1: Sinner 48% / Medvedev 54%
Set 2: Sinner 30% / Medvedev 62%
Set 3: Sinner 51% / Medvedev 34%
Set 4: Sinner 62% / Medvedev 29%
Set 5: Sinner 63% / Medvedev 30%
Total: Sinner 50% / Medvedev 42%

Sinner got crushed from the back of the court for two sets, winning just 38 per cent (28/74) of baseline exchanges. And just like a light switch was flipped, he found the right speed, height, spin and depth that was required to make Medvedev uncomfortable from the trenches. Sinner won 38 per cent of groundstroke points in the first two sets, but managed to win 63 per cent (45/72) in the last two.

Sinner went from missing a lot in the first two sets to almost couldn’t miss in the last three.

The Official App Of Tennis | Download ATP WTA Live App

Rally Length
Sinner underperformed in short rallies of 0-4 shots in the first two sets, winning just 43 per cent (24/56). It felt like he always had a chance to miss the court, while Medvedev played rock solid, prowling the baseline. Then, in the third set, things wildly changed for the Italian, as he won 61 per cent (22/36) of critical short rallies in 0-4 shots. Over the last three sets, Sinner won a remarkable 58 per cent (56/97) of short rallies to run away with the title.

The average rally length for the match was a lengthy 5.57 shots. Sinner struggled mightily in this area for almost two sets and then basically couldn’t miss in the three most important sets of his life.

Forehands vs. Backhands
Sinner’s forehand started slow, with just five winners in the first two sets while contributing 17 errors. It then caught fire in set three, amassing 17 winners and 26 errors over the remaining three sets.

In stark comparison, Medvedev accumulated eight forehand winners in the first two sets, but only managed five over the remaining three sets. Medvedev hit eight backhand winners for the match, while Sinner managed five. This match developed into a contest where both players tried to play aggressively from the back of the court, where not missing took precedence over cracking a winner.

Overall, Sinner won just one more point than Medvedev for the match (142-141). But that’s not how it felt. Medvedev dominated the first 85 minutes of the contest to win the first two sets. Sinner took a stranglehold on the remaining 139 minutes to win the title.

It’s not how fast you start. It’s how strong you finish.

Italian fought back from two sets down against Medvedev to clinch maiden major
January 28, 2024
Jannik Sinner speaks to the media after clinching his maiden Grand Slam trophy at the Australian Open.William West/AFP via Getty Images
Jannik Sinner speaks to the media after clinching his maiden Grand Slam trophy at the Australian Open.
By ATP Staff
Ever since he burst onto the scene as a 17-year-old ATP Newcomer of the Year in 2019, Jannik Sinner has been touted for Grand Slam glory.

Being talked about as one of tennis’ future greats has proven hard to handle for many prodigious talents of the past. Yet Sinner appeared completely at ease with the task at hand on Sunday at the Australian Open, where the Italian rallied from two sets down to defeat Danill Medvedev and lift his maiden major trophy in Melbourne.

“There is always pressure, but the pressure is something good,” said Sinner in his post-match press conference, where he was asked about how he has handled expectations so far in his young career. “You have to take it in a good way. It's a privilege, because there are not so many players who have this kind of pressure. In another way, when you have pressure, it means [that people] believe that I can really do it.

“I like to dance in the pressure storm. Personally, I like it, because that's where most of the time I bring out my best tennis. I'm also quite relaxed on this occasion, because I always try to enjoy on the court. I think pressure is a privilege, to be honest.”

You May Also Like:Sinner rallies from two sets down to win Australian Open title
Sinner’s ability to keep his cool in a difficult situation was put to the ultimate test against Medvedev inside Rod Laver Arena. The Italian hardly performed badly across the opening two sets of the championship match, but he was powerless to stop an ultra-attacking Medvedev from surging to within a set of his second Grand Slam title.

“I was expecting something different from his side, so I had this feeling that he might come out a little bit more aggressive, but not this aggressive,” said Sinner of Medvedev’s gameplan. “He played really, really well for the first two sets or two-and-a-half sets. I just tried to play an even level, tried to take a couple of chances in the third set, which I did.

“When you win one very important game, the match can change occasionally, and that was the case today. I just tried to stay as long in the court as possible, knowing that he has spent so many hours on the court. The more the match goes on, maybe physically I'm a little bit better today, because he played so many hours.

“I think that today that was the key.”


Lifting his maiden major trophy comes after six highly successful months for Sinner, who won his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title in Toronto last August. He backed up that breakthrough with ATP 500 crowns in Beijing and Vienna, where he defeated Medvedev in both finals, before reaching the championship match on home soil at November’s Nitto ATP Finals.

For Sinner, there is more to his recent successes than simply a sudden streak of good form. The 22-year-old believes that long-term thinking by him and his team has been key.

“I think what I did not last year, but two years ago, getting to know my body better, getting to know my team better, this was a very important step for me,” said Sinner. “Then last year we tried to have some more results. I started off really well from the indoor tournaments. Indian Wells, Miami, I made [the] semi-final and final. Then also in Monte-Carlo I made a semi-final. Then the semis in Wimbledon.

“So I had very good results, I think, that made me believe that I can compete against the best players in the world. But [here] I still have to process it, because beating Novak [Djokovic] in the semis and then today Daniil in the final, they are tough players to beat. So it's a great moment for me and my team, but we also know that we have to improve if we want to have another chance to hold a big trophy again.

“This is all the process, and the hard work occasionally will pay off.”

The Official App Of Tennis | Download ATP WTA Live App

With his triumph in Melbourne, Sinner became just the ninth active Grand Slam men’s singles winner, the first new Australian Open champion since Stan Wawrinka in 2014, and the first Italian male to win a major outside Roland Garros. Even prior to his stunning comeback win against Medvedev, the No. 4 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings believed such an achievement was well within his capabilities.

“It's special, because it's a big trophy,” said Sinner. “It feels special when you see the big names in the draw and you can win it, because I feel even more privileged to only be in the draw and then trying to win against other players.

“The more you go on, you see fewer people around in the locker room or in the eating area. This makes you feel, ‘Okay, I'm doing a good tournament at the moment’. That was exactly the feeling I had in the last three rounds or so, because from the quarters it was quite empty. I think that is a really, really good feeling.”

Jannik's Journey
Childhood pictures of Jannik Sinner have circulated on social media in recent days as the Italian has stepped further into the spotlight. The images are fairly similar — the young Italian bundled up in a puffy coat with his flowing red hair seeping well out of a winter hat.

Sinner looked like any other kid trying to stay warm in the cold. Most of the images are from the mountains, where he first made his mark.

Growing up in northern Italy near the Austrian border, he spent much of his childhood becoming one of the best junior skiers in the country. There was never a doubt Sinner was a standout athlete. But if he became prominent in sport, tennis did not seem the medium through which he would do so.

Sinner’s father, Johann, liked the sport, so the San Candido-native began playing tennis aged seven. Little did Sinner or his family know that 15 years later, he would have millions of fans around the world and adults dress up in carrot suits travelling the globe to cheer him on.

They certainly had no idea that Sinner would become a Grand Slam champion with an Australian Open title to his name, which he accomplished Sunday. But based on how 22-year-old Sinner performed over the past fortnight at Melbourne Park, that looks like it will be just the beginning.


Jannik Sinner
Photo: AFP/Getty Images

At an early age, Sinner remembers taking lengthy walks to visit his parents at work. His father was the chef at the Talschlusshutte restaurant in Sesto-Val-Fiscalina, located in the mountains of northeast Italy. His mother, Siglinde, was a server there.

Sinner’s mother would help his grandparents clean and maintain apartments his family owned. They were blue-collar workers who demonstrated a work ethic that carried down to Jannik.

When Sinner needed to choose between skiing and tennis, he picked the latter despite his early success in the former. Skiing created a high-pressure environment in which one mistake would put all his hard work to waste and a run would be over within a couple of minutes. In tennis there is just as much pressure if not more, but he had the chance to learn and adjust. He simply enjoyed tennis more.

Aged 14, Sinner moved away from home to train under the tutelage of renowned coach Riccardo Piatti, one of the most well-known teachers in the world.

“I had to grow up quite fast, trying to cook for myself, trying to make laundry,” Sinner said Sunday. “The first times it was different, but then in the other way, that was maybe the fastest way to grow up.

“I think for me [it] was tough, but for the parents to leave their son [who was] 14 years old, it's also not easy. They always gave me [what I needed], they never put pressure on myself, which for me is maybe the key why I'm here today. I'm a quite relaxed man, who just enjoys to play tennis.”

We live in a world where life has become more intense from a young age for prospective athletes. Everything is all about winning matches and lifting trophies. That was never the case for Sinner.

His parents never helicoptered in to interfere with his game or pester him and his coaches about his performance. The Italian never broke into the Top 100 of the junior rankings. Instead, it was all about the process of building his game for the long run.

In 2018, Sinner began playing professional tournaments and that September, just after turning 17, he entered qualifying at an ATP Challenger Tour event in Biella as the World No. 878. It was there that Sinner trained with Italian standout Paolo Lorenzi for the first time.

A former No. 33 player in the world who now works for the Italian federation, Lorenzi was the third seed that week. After Sinner lost in the first round of qualifying, he remained in town with coach Andrea Volpini, a Piatti deputy, who knew Lorenzi and asked if he could practise with his young charge.

“The day after it was raining and we went to play in another club together. We played for two hours. He had lost [in the] first round in qualies, but that day we did this exercise and he did the exercise better than me,” Lorenzi said. “I knew that if you were one of the first seeds doing the exercise and he played better than you at that age, he had to be something special.”


The following January, instead of competing in the Australian Open boys’ singles event — he never played a Grand Slam junior tournament — Sinner was playing on the ITF World Tennis Tour in Tunisia, where he lost in the first round. He had not yet cracked the Top 500 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

But it did not take long for Sinner to capture attention. One month later, he won his first ATP Challenger Tour event in Bergamo. Two months after that he claimed his maiden tour-level match win in Budapest and in May, he made his ATP Masters 1000 debut on home soil in Rome against American veteran Steve Johnson, who was less than a year removed from being inside the world’s Top 30. Sinner rallied for a 1-6, 6-1, 7-5 victory.

“I could tell he was super nervous, I think I won the first set really easily,” Johnson recalled. “I had match points in the third set, tried to turn it around. After the match, I was obviously very dejected, very down about my performance and losing to a young kid.

“As the days go by, pretty much everybody — coaches, players, agents, whatever, you name it — told me that this kid is the real deal. He's got everything you need to do to be at the top of the game.”

At Wimbledon that year, Sinner made his Grand Slam qualifying debut, losing 12-10 in a deciding set to Australian Alex Bolt. As tough a defeat as that was, he went straight back to work. Instead of competing for several weeks in the comfort of Europe, Sinner left his comfort zone and played three consecutive Challengers in the United States to harness his hard-court game, thinking of his long-term progress.

At the US Open, Sinner qualified for a major for the first time. Having just turned 18, he was not yet a household name. The Italian sat inside a small interview cubicle at Flushing Meadows for several minutes before reporters realised he was there. That might have annoyed some top prospects, but Sinner never has viewed himself as better than anyone around him. He waited patiently with Piatti’s wife, Gaia Piatti, and remained for an extended period of time to tell a handful of journalists his story.

“I want to be the best player not only in Italy,” Sinner said that day. “But maybe once I can say that I’m the best player in the world.”


Jannik Sinner
2019 Rome. Photo: Peter Staples/ATP Tour




Jannik Sinner
2019 Milan. Photo: Peter Staples/ATP Tour



At the time, that seemed far away. It was just more than four years ago.

Some of his countrymen who were also competing in the main draw were already in awe of his game. Lorenzi and Andreas Seppi, who are not prone to hyperbole, raved to those around the practice courts about their countryman.

Hitting on a court closer to the Flushing Meadows Pitch & Putt than the match courts, the teenage Sinner’s ball-striking made a different sound than everyone else’s. Instead of a recurring ping, it was closer to the thump of a hammer striking a nail. It was a surprising noise considering Sinner’s skinny, undeveloped frame.

He lost in the first round of the main draw to three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka, but that was just another learning experience. Over and over again Sinner has spoken about his journey, the long road ahead and the importance of trying to improve every single day. He put that into practise that October in Antwerp, where he made his first ATP Tour semi-final in singles and played doubles with Lorenzi.

“He played the quarters in singles, he won. Then we played doubles, and we won the doubles. The day after that he had to play singles, his first semi-finals at an ATP,” Lorenzi remembered. “You'd think that the guy was going to go and rest. After these two matches, he went on court to practise again, because he wanted to work on a few details. So in this moment, you knew that he is going to be an amazing champion.”

Two months later as a wild card, Sinner won the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan against a field that included Alex de Minaur, Casper Ruud and Frances Tiafoe. In less than a year Sinner transitioned from losing a first-round match on the lowest levels of professional tennis in Tunisia to becoming Newcomer of the Year in the ATP Awards.

Since then, Sinner has been on a consistent upwards trajectory. But in early 2022, the Italian decided he needed to make a change, parting ways with Piatti and the rest of his team. Many have complimented Piatti on the work he did to form the young star’s technique and base. But the Italian sought new advice to help him improve even more.

Sinner began working with Simone Vagnozzi and later added Darren Cahill, former coach of Lleyton Hewitt and Andre Agassi among others.

There were setbacks along the way. In the 2022 Wimbledon quarter-finals, Sinner let slip a two-set advantage against Novak Djokovic. In that year's US Open quarter-finals, he lost an unforgettable match-of-the-year candidate at 2:50 a.m. to rival Carlos Alcaraz after five gruelling sets.

But instead of dwelling on those defeats, Sinner eagerly took lessons from them to improve his game. Last year, all of his work with his team showed in the second half of the season.

The Italian claimed his first ATP Masters 1000 trophy in Toronto and finished his 2023 with a flourish, earning trophies at the ATP 500 events in Beijing and Vienna before crafting a magical run on home soil in Turin to the championship match of the Nitto ATP Finals. He then led Italy to Davis Cup glory.

During that stretch he earned two singles victories against World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and three wins against former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev. Sinner beat them in back-to-back matches in Melbourne to lift his first Grand Slam trophy at the Australian Open.

Medvedev won the first two sets in Sunday’s final. But while in skiing, Sinner’s chances would have evaporated, he had enough time to problem-solve, raise his level and surge to a memorable 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 victory.

Sinner’s colleagues on Tour, including Johnson, have certainly taken notice of his improvement and ascent.

“The way he plays, the way he hits the ball and moves, it's truly remarkable to watch. He is somebody that you could have seen, as I took a step back from that first match in Rome, that was going to be very, very good at this sport,” Johnson said. “I assume that he will be battling for many, many Grand Slams here in the future with the litany of other young great stars of the game.”

Lorenzi said: “I'm sure that it is going to be just the start. When they are young like this, you never know what the limit is.”


Jannik Sinner
2023 Toronto. Photo: Mike Lawrence/ATP Tour



Today, Sinner is a national hero, just the second Italian male to win a Grand Slam singles title in the Open Era. His name has been chanted at tennis venues around the globe and even at the iconic San Siro Stadium in Milan. His face has been plastered across the cover of international newspapers and magazines as well as televisions everywhere.

At just 22 years old, Sinner is nearing $20 million in prize money and has made plenty more through several blue-chip endorsements. He even has his own logo. An argument can be made that at this moment in time, Sinner is playing better tennis than anyone else on Earth.

But some things have not changed at all since he was the boy in the mountains (even though a journalist asked Sinner after the final how his hair fits inside his hat). The Italian’s mindset has not shifted. This was a great moment for Sinner, but he is ready to continue pushing forward.

“Simone, we were talking already after the match that we can improve still,” Sinner said. “It's all part of the process. Obviously having this trophy, it's an amazing feeling. I feel grateful to have this here. But I know that I have to work even harder, because the opponents, they will find the way to beat me and I have to be prepared.

“Let's see what's coming in the future.”

As was expected, the Australian Open winner Jannik Sinner will not play at the ATP 250 event in Marseille next week. The Italian should have been the top seed ahead of Hubert Hurkacz, but he opted to rest following his career-best result, missing Marseille for the second straight year.

The organizers will try to replace Sinner with Alexander Zverev, offering a wild card to the Australian Open semi-finalist. Sinner claimed his first Major crown in Melbourne at 22, outplaying three top-10 rivals en route to tennis glory.

Jannik was among the favorites at Melbourne Park, proving his status with five straight-sets triumphs, including wins over Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev.


Jannik Sinner, Australian Open 2024© Daniel Pockett / Stringer - Getty Images Sport
Sinner faced the ultimate obstacle in the semi-final, with a ten-time Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic standing on the other side of the net.

Jannik shined in a 6-1, 6-2, 6-7, 6-3 victory in three hours and 22 minutes at Rod Laver Arena, booking a spot in his first Major final. Novak entered the clash with 33 straight Australian Open wins. He played miles below that level in the opening two sets, struggling on serve and return and falling behind in 73 minutes.

The Serb recovered a bit in the third set, saving a match point in the tie break and prolonging his chances. However, Jannik made a fresh start in the fourth set, earning one break and sealing the deal in style.

Jannik Sinner will not compete in Marseille next week.
The young gun stayed focused from start to finish, producing one good hold after another and keeping the pressure on the other side.

Djokovic sprayed over 50 unforced errors, never finding the desired rhythm and getting broken five times. Sinner tamed his strokes nicely and outplayed Djokovic in the shortest rallies up to four strokes, becoming the first player with the Melbourne Park win over Novak after the quarter-final stage.

Jannik played against Daniil Medvedev in the final and produced a marvelous comeback in a 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 win in three hours and 45 minutes, celebrating his first Major title at 22. Nothing separated them, with both players delivering four breaks.


Jannik Sinner, Australian Open 2024© Daniel Pockett / Stringer - Getty Images Sport
The Italian clinched his return games in the pivotal moments, celebrating in his first Major final. The more experienced player built a massive advantage and reached deuce at 4-4 in the third set, moving six points away from the title.

However, Sinner stayed focused and launched his comeback with a break at 5-4. The Italian grabbed another late return game at 5-4 in the fourth set, previously defending a break point at 3-3. The final set saw five comfortable holds, with Sinner moving 3-2 in front with a forehand winner.

The Italian secured a break in the sixth game with a forehand crosscourt winner, forging the advantage and moving closer to the finish line. Jannik extended the lead with a service winner in game seven and served for the title at 5-3.

The young gun earned a match point with a forced error and seized it with a forehand winner, becoming a Major champion and writing Italian tennis history. Sinner should return to action in Rotterdam between February 12-18.

Italian fresh off victory over Medvedev in Sunday's final
January 29, 2024
Jannik Sinner celebrates his Australian Open victory at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne.AFP/Getty Images
Jannik Sinner celebrates his Australian Open victory at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne.
By ATP Staff
Jannik Sinner stepped into the sun as a Grand Slam champion for the first time Monday.

The Italian star enjoyed a photoshoot with the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne.

The Official App Of Tennis | Download ATP WTA Live App

Entering the fortnight, Sinner had made one major semi-final and never advanced past the quarter-finals at a hard-court Slam. But the 22-year-old showed tremendous form Down Under, defeating Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev in back-to-back matches to lift the trophy.

Sinner remains No. 4 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, but is now just 945 points from World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz and 455 points behind World No. 3 Medvedev.