Sinner rallies to win Australian Open

MELBOURNE, Australia – Jannik Sinner lined up a forehand, drilled it down the line, and dropped to the court on his back, giving himself some moments to process how he’d managed to come back from two sets down to win his first Grand Slam title.

The 22-year-old Sinner found a way to turn defense into attack in his first major final and take the Australian Open title from Daniil Medvedev 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 on Sunday.

“I like to dance in the pressure storm,” he said of his seemingly serene approach to the most tense moments. “I like it because that’s where most of the time I bring out my best tennis.”

It was his third straight win over a top 5 player after his quarterfinal victory over Andrey Rublev and his semifinal upset that ended No. 1-ranked Novak Djokovic’s long domination of the tournament. Only Djokovic and Roger Federer have done that previously in a major played on hard courts. So he’s in great company.

Sinner is the first Italian to win the Australian Open and the youngest winner in a men’s final here since Djokovic won his first Grand Slam title in 2008.

With Carlos Alcaraz winning Wimbledon last year and Sinner winning the season-opening major, a generation shift is arriving.

“I still have to process it, because ... beating Novak in the semis and then today Daniil in the final, they are tough players to beat,” Sinner said. “It’s a great moment for me and my team. But in the other way, we also know that we have to improve if we want to have another chance to hold a big trophy again.”

Sinner’s success has lit a tennis fuse in Italy, where his run to the ATP Finals championship match and leading role in the Davis Cup title win in November captured the country’s attention. The nighttime final in Australia made for prelunch viewing in Italy. /