(PHOTO CREDITS: GETTY IMAGES)
By: Ari Litinski
World #1 Jannik Sinner just lifted his 3rd Grand Slam trophy at the 2025 Australian Open. The Italian breezed past the number 2 seed Alexander Zverev in straight sets to defend a grand slam title for the very first time in his career. While Sinner had a rather easy run to the title, only dropping 2 sets throughout the entire tournament, it wasn’t the same for some of his biggest rivals. Spanish world #3 Carlos Alcaraz fell to 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic in 4 sets, who then retired in the semifinal against Zverev after losing the first set tiebreak.
Having had a very strong performance in 2024, many tennis fans had Sinner as their favorite to win this year’s first Grand Slam. Here are some of the superstar’s achievements from the 2024 season: 2 ATP 500 titles, 3 Masters 1000 titles, 2 Grand Slam titles, an ATP Finals title, a Davis Cup title, and lastly, the ranking of #1 in the world. In 2024, Jannik Sinner showed everyone that there was a new “sheriff” in town and that he was the player to beat. Coming into 2025, the Italian was more confident than he had ever been, and it showed through how easily he swept past his opponents during the 2 weeks in Australia.
So what exactly makes Sinner so special? Some might say it’s his ferocious mentality under pressure. He said himself, “There is always pressure, but the pressure is something good. You have to take it in a good way… I like to dance in the pressure storm… because that’s where, most of the time, I bring out my best tennis” (The Guardian). Given that he is 3-0 in Grand Slam Finals, this statement is factual not to mention his comeback from 2 sets down to win his maiden title. Others say it’s Sinner’s amazing physicality that allows him to return every ball with the same depth and spin, no matter how difficult it may seem. It is important to note that before Sinner had even picked up a tennis racquet for the first time, he was hitting the ski slopes almost every day. Sinner’s agility and quickness as he skied in and out of the turns directly translated to his movement on the court. It’s no coincidence that one of the first things his opponents say about him is how good his movement is. Taylor Fritz, for example, had no problem praising Sinner for being “much faster [and] a lot better out of the corners” in the press conference after losing the US Open final to him in straight sets (US Open Tennis Championships, 7:18).
It’s safe to say that Jannik Sinner’s astonishing performance in 2024 gave him a big confidence boost going into the 2025 season. I personally can’t wait to see what 2025 has in store for Jannik. Will he win his first ever Wimbledon or Roland-Garros? How will he fare on the European clay courts? Will he be able to defend his US Open title? And most importantly, will he continue to “dance in the pressure storm”?
Scribemen Magazine 