An old pearl of wisdom suggests dominance doesn’t come from size or strength, but from a state of mind.
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Since assuming his place as world No.1 in June last year, Jannik Sinner has been a giant of mental strength, comfortably carrying the added burden of expectation that comes with his mantle.
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The 23-year-old has been the most effective while ranked No.1 since ATP rankings began and has racked up a staggering 46-3 record for a winning rate of almost 94 per cent since.
On the final Sunday of Australian Open 2025, the defending men’s champion could take his haul to six titles from nine events in that period should he extend Alexander Zverev’s unenviable hoodoo as the most successful player never to have saluted at a Slam.
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“Obviously it’s a great position to be in. Back of my head I also know that I’m 23 years old, and I am not perfect, no? I know that I have things still to improve,” the top seed said.
“I have certain areas where I can get better. That’s why we work for, no?
“As I said before, every day is a big challenge. Every day you have a different opponent. You try to understand what’s happening. Sometimes you have some issues, and then trying to understand that whatever works best for that day and trying to go for it.”
Having withstood an early barrage from a flashy Ben Shelton for a straight-sets semifinal victory on Friday, Sinner extended his winning streak at hard-court majors to 20 matches.
Though the American at times clocked the ball with more venom, he eventually found the pressure of trying to compromise the Italian’s defence and belief too much.
“Obviously you’re playing the No.1 player in the world,” Shelton said. “The chances, the windows are always small. Sometimes you miss your window, and the guy steps up his level, starts making a lot more first serves, playing better. The break chances don’t come as often …
“I think that those guys – Sinner, [Carlos] Alcaraz, Novak [Djokovic] – the guys who have been dominating in the Slams over the last two years … on their bad days they’re still winning in three sets, winning in four sets. They figure it out.”
On the verge of becoming the youngest man to defend his Australian Open crown since Jim Courier in 1992-93, Sinner has dropped just two sets on his run – to wildcard Tristan Schoolkate in the second round and Holger Rune in the fourth.
Second seed Zverev was in cruise control through the first week before Ugo Humbert and Tommy Paul each snatched a set. The retirement of 10-time Melbourne Park champion Novak Djokovic after conceding the opening set in their semifinal fast-tracked his passage into a third major final.
After falling in five sets to Dominic Thiem in the 2020 US Open final and again in a deciding set to Alcaraz in last year’s Roland Garros title match, the German is keen to build on a 4-2 record against the world No.1, which includes both showdowns at a hard-court Slam – the US Open in 2021 and 2023.
“My goal is still to compete with the big guys and to compete for these kind of tournaments and try to win them,” Zverev said.
“For that, I need to get better. I need to improve on the court. I need to improve physically. That’s why I kind of said to the end-of-the-year tournaments, yes, I’m going to play them, but I’m going to play them also to improve and to try to become a better tennis player.
“I was still practising through all the tournaments. I was still doing quite a lot of physical training through the tournaments, as well, for these kind of moments, for Grand Slams and hopefully to be able to lift these kind of trophies.”
At 27 years and 281 days old, Zverev would become the oldest man to win a maiden Slam since Stan Wawrinka at Australian Open 2014 should he finally live up to his promise.
Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, Stefan Edberg, Gustavo Kuerten, Roger Federer, Wawrinka and Alcaraz are the only men in the Open era to win their first three Grand Slam finals.
Sinner could become the eighth.
“We had some tough matches in the past,” Sinner said. “Everything can happen. He is an incredible player, he is looking for his first major and there is going to be a lot of tension again, but I’m happy to put myself in this position once again.
“Sundays are always very special, especially in tournaments. I’m going to enjoy it.”