MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) 鈥� There's all sorts of ways beyond merely the score to measure just how dominant was while outplaying and frustrating during the 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-3 victory Sunday that earned the 23-year-old Italian a second consecutive championship.
The zero break points Sinner faced. Or the 10 he accumulated. The 27-13 advantage in points that lasted at least nine strokes. Or the way Sinner accumulated more winners, 32 to 25, and fewer unforced errors, 27 to 45. The way Sinner won 10 of the 13 points that ended with him at the net. Or the way he only let Zverev go 14 of 27 in that category, frequently zipping passing shots out of reach.
Well, here's is one more bit of evidence: what Zverev said about Sinner.
鈥淚鈥檓 serving better than him, but that鈥檚 it. He does everything else better than me. He moves better than me. He hits his forehand better than me. He hits his backhand better than me. He returns better than me. He volleys better than me,鈥� Zverev said. 鈥淎t the end of the day, tennis has five or six massive shots 鈥� like, massive factors 鈥� and he does four or five of them better than me. That鈥檚 the reason why he won.鈥�
High praise from a guy who is, after all, ranked No. 2. Sinner has held the No. 1 spot since last June and . This was the first Australian Open final between the men at No. 1 and No. 2 since 2019, when 鈥� also in straight sets.
鈥淚t's amazing,鈥� Sinner said, 鈥渢o achieve these things.鈥�
The "things" include being the youngest man to leave Melbourne Park with the trophy two years in a row since Jim Courier in 1992-93, and the first man since at the French Open in 2005 and 2006 to follow up his first title by repeating as the champion at the same tournament a year later.
Sinner was asked later whether he felt more relief or excitement when he raised his arms after the last point was his.
鈥淭his one was joy. We managed to do something incredible this time, because the situation I was in was completely different from a year ago here,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 had more pressure.鈥�
Probably true, but's hard to tell.
Go to the start of 2024, and take stock. In that span, Sinner has won three of the five major tournaments, including the U.S. Open in September, meaning he now has claimed three straight hard-court Slams. His record is 80-6 with nine titles. His current unbeaten run covers 21 matches.
鈥淭here's always something that can get better,鈥� said one of his two coaches, Simone Vagnozzi. 鈥淗e is playing really well right now and everything comes easily. But there will be tough moments ahead.鈥�
The only thing that鈥檚 clouded the past 12 months for Sinner, it seems, in which his exoneration was appealed by the World Anti-Doping Agency. He tested positive for a trace amount of an anabolic steroid twice last March but blamed it on an accidental exposure involving two members of his team who have since been fired. Sinner initially was cleared in August; a is scheduled for April.
鈥淚 keep playing like this because I have a clear mind on what happened,鈥� Sinner said Sunday. 鈥淚 know if I would be guilty, I would not play like this.鈥�
While he became the eighth man in the Open era (which began in 1968) to start his career 3-0 in Grand Slam finals, , adding this loss to those at the 2020 U.S. Open and last year's French Open.
Those earlier setbacks both came in five sets. This contest was not that close. Not at all.
鈥淚鈥檒l keep doing everything I can,鈥� Zverev said, 鈥渢o lift one of those trophies.鈥�
Just before into a microphone during the trophy ceremony, a voice cried out from the stands, making reference to two of the player鈥檚 ex-girlfriends who .
During the match, there truly was only one moment that contained a hint of tension. It came when Zverev was two points from owning the second set at 5-4, love-30. But a break point 鈥� and a set point 鈥� never arrived.
A year ago, Sinner went through a lot more trouble to earn his first major, needing to get past Novak Djokovic 鈥� against Zverev on Friday because of a torn hamstring 鈥� before against 2021 U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev.
This time, Sinner applied pressure with an all-around style that does not really appear to have holes.
He proved superior in every meaningful way other than aces, leaving Zverev shaking his head or trudging to the sideline with shoulders sagging or cracking his racket against the court or against another racket.
Perfectly understandable, given what Sinner can do to an opponent, especially on a hard court.
鈥淭he facts speak for themselves,鈥� Zverev said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 in a different universe right now.鈥�
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Howard Fendrich has been the AP鈥檚 tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: . More AP tennis:
Howard Fendrich, The Associated Press
