Jannik Sinner has continued his Australian Open title defence after beating Ben Shelton in the semi-final.
Sinner caused concern at the Australian Open in his match against Holger Rune after taking a lengthy medical timeout.
It was not completely clear what the issue was at the time, but Sinner’s coach has since clarified this.
In the Australian Open final, Sinner will play second seed Alexander Zverev, who is into his first final in Melbourne.
Zverev beat Novak Djokovic via retirement in his Australian Open semi-final, and is now one win away from an elusive Grand Slam title.
Jannik Sinner responds when asked if he is the favorite to win Australian Open final
This will be the seventh meeting between the two Australian Open finalists, with Zverev leading the head-to-head 4-2.
However, Sinner won their most recent meeting against Zverev in a deciding set tie-break at the Cincinnati Masters.
| Year | Tournament | Result |
| 2020 | Roland Garros (R16) | Sinner beat Zverev, 6-3 6-3 4-6 6-3 |
| 2020 | Cologne Open (SF) | Zverev beat Sinner, 7-6(3) 6-3 |
| 2021 | US Open (R16) | Zverev beat Sinner, 6-4 6-4 7-6(7) |
| 2022 | Monte Carlo Masters (QF) | Zverev beat Sinner, 5-7 6-3 7-6(5) |
| 2023 | US Open (R16) | Zverev beat Sinner, 6-4 3-6 6-2 4-6 6-3 |
| 2024 | Cincinnati Masters (SF) | Sinner beat Zverev, 7-6(9) 5-7 7-6(4) |
Zverev previously stated his goal to overtake Sinner in the ATP rankings, despite trailing the Italian by over 4000 ranking points before the Australian Open.
When asked about the upcoming final, Sinner spoke about whether he sees himself as a favorite against Zverev.
“It’s going to be a tough match for both of us,” said Sinner. “It’s going to be physical, for sure. Then we see, no?
“I think he played some incredible tennis to go to the final. It’s tough to say whoever is the favorite 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.”
Jannik Sinner on the difference between this and last year’s Australian Open final?
In last year’s Australian Open final, Sinner beat Daniil Medvedev from two sets to love down to win his first Grand Slam title.
A year on from that match, Sinner has added the US Open title to his resume and has not lost a match on hard courts since the China Open final against Carlos Alcaraz in October.
When asked about the different feeling he has going into this year’s final, Sinner spoke about the pressure and expectations that he feels.
“I don’t know. This I can answer you after the final. I don’t know how I’m going to feel Sunday,” said Sinner. “I hope I feel good. But as I said before, everything can happen. Sundays are exciting days.
“For sure there is loads of pressure, loads of expectations, loads of attention. At the end of the day it’s a tennis match, no? It has to be fun. It has to be something great and good.
“In my mind I try to do that, trying to make the right decisions in the right time. If I can do it, good. If not, final again, it’s amazing result.”
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