Jannik Sinner claimed his maiden Grand Slam title in scintillating fashion in front of a packed Rod Laver Arena on Sunday, as he rallied from two-sets-to-love down to lift the Australian Open 2024 men’s singles title. The No. 4 seed beat world No. 3 Daniil Medvedev 3-6 3-6 6-4 6-4 6-3 in three hours and 44 minutes to become the first-ever Italian, male or female, to win a major at Melbourne Park.
Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek were among the first tennis stars to congratulate Sinner on his historic win. “I am so happy for you Jannik! You deserve it more than anyone! Enjoy the moment my friend!” Alcaraz tweeted. Four-time Slam winner Swiatek added: “What a match, what a fight. Congrats @janniksin”
Djokovic, whose magnificent streak of 33-straight wins at the Australian Open, spanning 2195 days, was halted by Sinner in the semifinal, also joined the bandwagon, calling it a “deserving” victory. The 22-year-old, with the win, became the youngest male player to lift the season’s first major since the Serb won in 2008 at the age of 20.
22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal, who missed the 2024 Australian Open owing to a hip injury he incurred earlier this month in Brisbane, also hailed the Italian on his “awesome” achievement. He wrote: “Awesome Jan, well done. Great tournament your first Grand Slam tournament!!! Greetings to you, your team, your family and all Italy that won today with you.”
Medvedev got off to a confident start in the final, as he broke a nervy Sinner early in the two opening sets with his aggressive brand of tennis, which unsettled the Italian. Medvedev was also strong on the serve, winning over 80 per cent of the points behind his first landing while registering 23 winners.
However, with Sinner adding more power to his forehand returns, he pushed Medvedev further and further back, and thus began dictating the longer rallies from the baseline. Medvedev, who spent over 20 hours on court leading up to the final, never managed to find his tempo again as he began to wear down against the heavy ball-striking from Sinner, who closed out the remaining three sets with ease to earn the biggest win of his life.