Jannik Sinner rallied from two sets down to defeat Daniil Medvedev in the Australian Open final 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3. It is the first grand slam title for the 22-year-old and first win in Australia by an Italian male or female. Sinner had upset world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, ending his quest for a record- extending 11th Australian Open win and 25th Grand Slam.
The fourth-seeded Sinner pockets $2.08 million in prize money for the win, while third seed Medvedev earns $1.14 million for his runner-up finish. On Saturday, Aryna Sabalenka beat China’s Zheng Qinwen for her second straight women’s Australian Open crown.
The nearly four-hour men’s final was a fitting end to the Australian Open, which tied the 1983 U.S. Open for most five-set matches in the Open era with 35. Medvedev was part of four of those matches and spent 24 hours and 17 minutes on the court, another slam record that topped Carlos Alcaraz’s 23:40 at the 2022 U.S. Open.
“At least I got a record in something,” Medvedev joked to the media in his post-match press conference. “I’m in the history books for something. Let’s take it.”
Sinner is just the second player in the Open Era to come back from two sets down to win the Australian Open final and win, with Medvedev on the losing side of both matches, including the 2022 final against Rafael Nadal. He is now 1-5 in slam finals with the 2021 U.S. Open his lone victory.
“It hurts to lose in the final, but probably losing in the final is better than losing before,” Medvedev said.
Djokovic was the only one of tennis’ Big Three to compete in Australia with Roger Federer retired and Nadal withdrawing from the event after an injury at the Brisbane International. Sinner’s win is just the 16th by a player outside the Big Three in 82 slams since Wimbledon in 2003.
Sinner’s best previous finish at a slam was a semifinal run at Wimbledon last year. He is just the third Italian man to win a slam and first since Adriano Panatta at the 1976 French Open; Nicola Pietrangeli also won the French Open in 1959 and 1960.
Sinner won four titles last year and earned $10.5 million in prize money, including his ATP bonus. It ranked fourth across tennis behind Djokovic, Alcarez and Medvedev. He’s been tabbed as one of the next generation of stars on the ATP Tour.
In November, Sinner led Italy to its first Davis Cup title since 1976. After the win, Formula 1 announced Sinner would be a “Friend of F1” and appear at races to interact with fans starting in 2024.
“As Formula 1 continues to grow and reach new and diverse fans, we must continue to work with personalities beyond our sport to open the way to a new audience,” Stefano Domenicali, F1 CEO, said in announcing the partnership. “This wonderful collaboration with Jannik’s platforms will help us bring the world of F1 closer to the world of tennis.”
Sinner’s other endorsement partners include Nike, Head, Rolex, Italian telecom firm Fastweb and Lavazza coffee.
“It’s been a hell of a journey till now,” Sinner told the crowd after the match, “Even if I am still only 22.”
