Australian Open final: Sinner sinks Medvedev to clinch his first Grand Slam

• Jannik Sinner secured a memorable victory over Daniil Medvedev during the 2024 Australian Open final to clinch his maiden Grand Slam
• It was the first Australian Open final since 2005 not to feature one of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer

On Sunday, Jannik Sinner secured a memorable victory over Daniil Medvedev during the 2024 Australian Open final to clinch his maiden Grand Slam. The 22-year-old was trailing by two sets before pulling an extraordinary comeback that saw his name added to the list of men who have triumphed in Melbourne. He won the thrilling match 3-6 3-6 6-4 6-4 6-3.

“It takes a little while to process everything. I’m extremely happy how I handled things today. The situation on court was very, very tough. I think the most important part was the support I had throughout these two weeks. I felt that many, many people were watching also from home in the TV, so I just tried my best. I was a little bit in trouble today with two sets to love down and in a little bit over one hour. So I just tried to stay positive.” Jannik Sinner said after winning the Australian Open final, as per The Guardian.

Jannik Sinner beat Daniil Medvedev to win his first Grand Slam. Photo/ ATP Tour.

Whereas it was a day to remember for Sinner, it was another bitter experience for Medvedev in Melbourne as he became the first player in history to to lose two Grand Slam finals when leading by two sets. In 2022, he also threw a two-set advantage lead to allow Rafael Nadal to catch up with him and eventually emerge victorious. The third seed has now lost five of six major finals.

It was the first Australian Open final since 2005 not to feature one of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer. Sinner was the first new men’s champion since Stan Wawrinka in 2014. He also became the 27th man in the Open Era to lift the Australian Open trophy.

How Sinner Won The 2024 Australian Open Final

Jannik Sinner was brought to the forefront of conversation when discussing Grand Slam champions in 2024 after impressing towards the end of last year. During the last six months of 2023, he lifted his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Toronto and reached the title match at the Nitto ATP Finals.

Many had hopes that he could emerge victor in one of the slams this year, but only a few expected him to do so in Australia, especially after it had been confirmed that he was going to face 10-time champion Novak Djokovic in the semi-final.

After knocking Djokovic out of the tournament, a first-time champion was guaranteed in Melbourne. It was either him or Medvedev, who had reached Sunday’s final after beating Alexander Zverev in the semis.

Medvedev, who has been to a Slam final before, hoped that his experience could help him secure crucial victory over Sinner. He started well against Sinner, showing aggression despite playing for over 20 hours at the Australian Open. Sinner had no response to the 27-year-old who clinched the first set.

Sinner nearly lost his serve again just after the start of the second set, but battled through to save four break points. While the points appeared crucial for the 22-year-old, he conceded his next two service games anyway to fall behind 5-1. In the end, Medvedev clinched the set.

But from there, the game turned to Sinner’s advantage as he suffocated the Russian with attacks to claim the next three sets.

Jannik Sinner. Photo/ Scroll.in.

Aged 22 years and 165 days, Sinner became the youngest man to lift the Australian Open since Djokovic in 2008. The Italian also became just the second man born after the turn of the century to win a Grand Slam since Carlos Alcaraz, who won the 2022 US Open and 2023 Wimbledon.

Meanwhile, Medvedev’s record at a hard court slam is now 50-2. The 27-year-old, who set the record for most time spent on court at a Grand Slam tournament with 24 hours and 17 minutes, sat on his chair looking disconsolate after losing to Sinner.

“It’s three finals in a row, but congratulations Jannik, you deserved it. I’m gonna try to make it next time. I just want to thank everyone.” Medvedev said after the match, as per Sky Sports.