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Red-hot Sinner keeping his feet on the ground: ‘Nobody’s perfect’

Italian faces Zverev in Australian Open final on Sunday in Melbourne
January 24, 2025
Jannik Sinner in semi-final action against Ben Shelton on Friday night in Melbourne.
Peter Staples/ATP Tour
Jannik Sinner in semi-final action against Ben Shelton on Friday night in Melbourne. By ATP Staff

Jannik Sinner has done little else but win for the past six months.

By defeating Ben Shelton in straight sets on Friday at the Australian Open, the Italian made it 36 wins in his past 37 matches dating back to the Cincinnati Open last August. He is now 46-3 since becoming No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time last June, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, and Sinner says constant hard work has been key to maintaining his dominance.

“Obviously, it's a great position to be in,” when asked about competing as World No. 1. “[In the] back of my head I also know that I'm 23 years old, and I am not perfect. I know that I have things still to improve. I have certain areas where I can get better. That's what 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. Everyone makes mistakes. Nobody's perfect. That's it.”

The need to stay constantly alert and dialled in at key moments was emphasised during Sinner’s last-four clash in Melbourne with Shelton. The encounter could have played out very differently had the American taken one of two set points on his own serve at 6-5 in the first set. Instead, Sinner rallied to break serve and largely dominated the match from that point on.

“It was a crucial set,” reflected Sinner on his 7-6(2), 6-2, 6-2 triumph. “I think we both returned actually quite well. Just trying to stay calm in the important moments. I knew in the first set it was very important, especially when he was serving for the set. The tie-break, I tried to play very solid, which then gave me confidence for the next couple of sets. So I'm very happy.”

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Sinner will now seek to extend his perfect 2-0 record in Grand Slam finals when he takes on Alexander Zverev in Sunday’s championship match in Melbourne. The Italian will step on court on a 20-match winning streak and as the only one of the two players with major-winning experience. Yet he is taking nothing for granted against Zverev, who leads the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series 4-2.

“First of all, it's going to be mental. Then, of course, we played already," said Sinner when asked for his thoughts on the matchup. "It's going to be a tough match for both of us. It's going to be physical, for sure. Then we see.

“I think he played some incredible tennis to go to the final. It's tough to say whoever is the favourite in a way because everything can happen. These are all questions we are going to get answered Sunday. It's very difficult to talk today in advance.”

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