A double or a first: Jannik Sinner (1st), defending champion at the Australian Open, and Alexander Zverev (2nd), looking for a first Grand Slam at 27 after two painful failures, face each other on Sunday in the final in Melbourne.
Since the start of the Open era in 1968, 51 Grand Slam finals have pitted the top two in the ATP rankings against each other, with very balanced results: 26 victories for the No.1s, 25 for the No.2s.
Contre Zverev, “it’s hard to say who is the favorite”Sinner cautiously advanced. “Anything can happen. »
In Australia, the Italian is not only the title holder. He has also just achieved 20 successes in a row on the ATP circuit, the longest collection of consecutive victories of his career and an unprecedented series for two years, achieved at the time by the illustrious Novak Djokovic.
At 23, the double Grand Slam winner (Australian Open and US Open 2024) nevertheless reiterated that he was neither invincible nor « parfait »and that his success came above all from his ” work “ daily.
In the event of victory, the Italian will become the most successful representative of the Boot in the Grand Slam, ahead of his compatriot Nicola Pietrangeli, double winner of Roland-Garros (1959, 1960).
“They are N.1 and N.2, from the point of view of the ranking it’s the perfect final”emphasized Darren Cahill, one of Sinner’s coaches. “The best player will win. »
If his status and his title last year make Sinner the favorite, Alexander Zverev feels ” ready “ to achieve his first Grand Slam success after two finals lost after five sets at the US Open 2020 and Roland-Garros 2024.
4 to 2 for Zverev
The German Alexander Zverev during his semi-final against the Serbian Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open, January 24, 2025 in Melbourne / WILLIAM WEST / AFP
“Everyone knows what my goals and dreams are, right? »he pretended to wonder earlier in the tournament. “When you arrive at a Grand Slam as world number 2, you can only want to win”he proclaimed.
-“I did the job”particularly on a physical level after having felt, by his own admission, ” fatigue “ at the end of his title match against Carlos Alcaraz (3rd) in Paris, insisted Friday Zverev, who until this year had never gone beyond the semi-finals in Melbourne, reached in 2020 and 2024.
“I don’t want this to happen again this year”insisted the German, renowned for the physical exercise sessions that he inflicts on himself as soon as he finishes matches.
Another reason to believe it: the Hamburger leads four victories to two in his face-to-face meetings with Sinner. In Grand Slams, Zverev has always won on hard court (twice at the US Open), compared to a success for the Italian at Roland-Garros in 2020.
But the world No.1 should also be able to withstand the shock if the final were to be played in five sets, like last year when he won against Daniil Medvedev after coming back from two sets behind.
“I have no fear that he will go the distance over five sets if necessary”hammered Sinner’s coach before the 12th clash between a world No.1 and a world No.2 in the final in Melbourne since the start of the Open era.
The last time, in 2019, Novak Djokovic enforced the hierarchy by winning against Rafael Nadal, then 2nd in the ATP rankings.
Eliminated by retirement against Zverev in the semi-finals, the 37-year-old Serbian will support the world No.2 on Sunday.
“He deserves his first Grand Slam. I will encourage him. I hope he manages to get it here”wished Djokovic, titled 24 times in major tournaments.
