The harder the battle, the sweeter the victory. That could just be Jannik Sinner‘s mantra. The Italian has stunned fans with his dominance on the court, finishing 2024 as World No. 1. He clinched two Grand Slam titles and six overall, then returned to win his third major at the 2025 Australian Open, all while making it look easy! Yet, his journey has been anything but simple. Off the court, he faces the fallout from a doping controversy. Despite this, his new title shows it hasn’t affected him much.
With his AO victory, Jannik Sinner has solidified his No. 1 status with 11,830 points—nearly 4,000 ahead of Alexander Zverev. He’s held this ranking for 34 weeks while navigating a doping controversy that began in March 2024. After testing positive for the banned substance clostebol, he was cleared by the ITIA in August, but WADA appealed this decision. And on Tuesday, Mitch Michals welcomed former ATP pro Jan-Michael Gambill on The Inside-In Tennis Podcast to discuss Sinner’s effortless victory at the Australian Open.
Gambill remarked, “I read a stat that mentioned that Sinner, the amount of times that he has been No. 1, he’s got the highest win rate or he’s up there with some crazy names. I mean, it’s amazing.” Mitch further noted, “When you think about generational talents and a player like him, it’s also the maturity. The mental side of it too and that you don’t even have to get into this stuff he’s dealing with off the court.”
Earlier in the podcast, the hosts discussed Madison Keys‘ triumph at the Australian Open after overcoming injuries and consistency issues throughout her career. Gambill said, “It’s that tunnel vision that we talked about with Madi Keys… however she figured that out, [Jannik] Sinner has it figured out.” He acknowledged that Sinner is dealing with potential suspension and distractions but chooses to focus on his game. “That has to be weighing on him a little.”
