
World No. 1 meets No. 2 in a blockbuster title showdown Sunday at the 2025 Australian Open.
Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev will each be full of confidence heading into the championship match at the hard-court major in Melbourne, where they have both dropped just two sets across six matches so far. There are plenty of signs that Sinner, the defending champion and runaway No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings who is on a 20-match winning streak, will be difficult to stop. Yet Zverev can draw plenty of hope from a look at the pair’s past encounters.
It is the German who holds a 4-2 lead in the pair’s Lexus ATP head2Head series, including winning both previous clashes at a hard-court major (US Open, 2021 and 2023). The 27-year-old Zverev can also reflect on some red-hot recent form of his own: He has won 16 of his past 17 matches dating back to his title run at November’s Rolex Paris Masters, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.
Zverev is a seven-time ATP Masters 1000 champion, two-time Nitto ATP Finals titlist and an Olympic gold medallist, but he has never managed to get over the line at a major. While the World No. 2 will be feeling confident in his own ability to get the job done in his third Grand Slam final, he also holds plenty of respect for the opponent standing in his way in Melbourne.
“Look, I think Jannik has been the best player in the world for the past 12 months,” said Zverev, who advanced to the championship match following Novak Djokovic’s semi-final retirement, when asked about Sinner. “There's no doubt about it. Won two Grand Slams. Has been very, very stable in those regards. So definitely one of the best players in the world.”
For Sinner, who overcame Ben Shelton in straight sets in his semi-final, his past battles with Zverev will serve as warning enough that he must not drop his level in Sunday’s showdown. The 23-year-old, whose 20-match winning streak contributes to a wider record of 36 triumphs in his past 37 tour-level matches, is determined to relish the atmosphere of championship-match Sunday as he bids to become the first Italian to win three major singles titles.
“We’ve had some very tough matches in the past. Everything can happen,” said Sinner, when asked about his thoughts on facing Zverev. “He’s an incredible player. He’s looking for his first major. There is going to be a lot of tension again, but I’m happy to play in this position. Sundays are always special days in tournaments, and I’m going to enjoy it.”
The final is set 🔥#AO2025 pic.twitter.com/c8AMG2YC00
— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 24, 2025
Sinner is aiming to improve to 3-0 in Slam finals, while Zverev is hoping to avoid slipping to 0-3. If the German is to lift his maiden major title on Sunday, he will likely need to produce a big serving performance and show plenty of aggression from the baseline to prevent Sinner from taking control of rallies with his own heavy ballstriking.
It was Sinner’s groundstroke prowess that proved just enough to secure a narrow victory in his most recent tour-level meeting with Zverev. In the Cincinnati Open semi-finals last August, the Italian prevailed 7-6(9), 5-7, (7-6(4) in a match that lasted more than three hours.
Zverev, who fell to five-set defeats in both his previous Grand Slam finals (vs. Dominic Thiem at 2020 US Open, vs. Carlos Alcaraz at 2024 Roland Garros), believes he needs to be prepared to play the long game again against Sinner. If the match enters a fourth or fifth set, the second seed hopes he will feel the benefit of fitness coach Jez Green returning to his team as the final wears on.
“That was the reason why I hired him, to be physically at the same level again that I was and to be able to compete with those guys,” said Zverev. “I think I said it also after the Roland Garros final, I got tired against Carlos. I simply got tired in the fourth and fifth set. Yes, there were some unlucky moments… But in general, I got tired, and I didn't want that to happen this year anymore.”
If Zverev forges a lead inside Rod Laver Arena, he will still know not to count Sinner out at any point. Twelve months ago, the Italian rallied from two-sets-to-love down to defeat Daniil Medvedev and lift the trophy in Melbourne. Even after two long weeks of action this year, Sinner feels ready for one more final push.
“In the beginning of the tournament, you never know what your shape is. Without playing any tournaments before, you don't know,” said Sinner. “I know that I work a lot, but you never know what's happening. Then you try to raise your level day by day, trying to understand what's happening.
“All of us who go deep in tournaments, they have some days where they struggle a little bit more. If it's physical, if it's mentally, it's a lot going on. It's a long way to come here. Now it's only one match left. Let's see what's coming.”
Watch the final from at 7:30 p.m. AEDT/ 9:30 a.m. CET/ 3:30 a.m. ET on Sunday.
Looking ahead to the final 🎾🏆@janniksin 🆚 @AlexZverev
— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) January 25, 2025
Here’s a recap of their last meeting:
1️⃣ #PerformanceTracker for the match
2️⃣ 1st Set: Sinner capitalises at key moments with a #ConversionScore of 78% and a Forehand #ShotQuality of 9.6 in the tie-break
3️⃣ 2nd Set:… pic.twitter.com/BX2poBOWRW