By Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Sunday, January 26, 2025
Photo credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty
Alexander Zverev felt a foreboding of déjà vu facing Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open final.
One round after Zverev toppled Grand Slam king Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, he saw world No. 1 Sinner play with the precision of a Djokovic clone in the Australian Open final.
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The top-seeded Sinner did not drop serve sweeping Zverev 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 to successfully defend his Australian Open crown and run his winning streak to 21 matches.
Afterward, Zverev said three-time major champion Sinner is “very, very” similar to 24-time major champion Djokovic at his best.
“He’s very, very similar to Novak when he was at his best,” Zverev told the media in Melbourne. “They barely miss, like barely miss. They make you think like you have to overhit all the time to have a chance in a rally against them.
“It’s very, very difficult to win a point from the back of the court against them, against Novak and him. Move obviously tremendous.”
The 2020 Olympic gold-medal champion said both Sinner and Djokovic are oppressive opponents rushing you of reaction time and space.
“They’re constantly on the baseline,” Zverev said. “They don’t give you any space. They don’t give you any time. Yeah, I mean, just right now too good for me.”
