Just not the way Sascha would have wanted! Alexander Zverev, the current world No. 2, recently suffered a humiliating loss in the Australian Open final against the top seed Jannik Sinner under the lights of Rod Laver Arena. It was their seventh head-to-head clash, where Sascha entered the match with a 4-2 advantage. Unfortunately, the German ace was defeated in straight sets. And, after Jannik Sinner secured his back-to-back Australian Open title, former Novak Djokovic coach and fellow German shared his candid opinion about the German and his approach right through the match.
Sascha had an incredible run at the AO till the final. He cruised through the first three rounds without dropping a set and lost just one set each in the 4th round and QFs, reaching the semifinals with ease to set up a clash against Serbian GOAT Novak Djokovic. However, the injured Serbian retired after just one set, sending Zverev into his third Grand Slam final after the US Open 2020 and Roland-Garros 2024. And, there, Sascha faced the high-flying Italian, Jannik Sinner for the 8th time. Unfortunately, Sascha fell short in straight sets, losing 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-3, with Sinner hitting 32 winners. With the ‘Happy Slam‘ now done and dusted, the former ATP legend and Djokovic’s ex-coach shared his thoughts on the match.
The former No. 1 Boris Becker recently posted a video on his Instagram account where he speaks with Andrea Petkovic on their ‘Becker Petkovic’ podcast, about the AO final, where he added, “When he walked onto the court, with his shoulder slightly slumped forward and his head hanging low, I thought, oh God, oh God, oh God. He’s tense, he’s nervous. He’s not in the right mindset. This is going to be a tough one. Then Jannik Sinner stepped into the court. And he looked like pure sunshine. Focused, chest out, head held high. And in a final like this of course, its about strategy, forehands, and ball control. But above all its about mindset and your mentality. And for me, that was the big difference between Sinner and Zverev. Of course the South Tyrolean played perfectly – credit, where credit is due. On hard courts, he’s almost unbeatable not just for, Zverev, but for anyone”.
Sinner, 23, had an incredible 2024 season, winning eight trophies, and started his Australian Open journey with a bang. Despite an ongoing doping controversy, his performance has not suffered in the least. His third consecutive hard court Slam title is proof enough – and to think he played through sickness and exhaustion throughout.
