Sinner will be one of greatest players we've ever seen

Whenever Jannik Sinner competes, it seems new records are always being broken. The world number one defeated second seed Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6(7-4), 6-3 in the Australian Open final, becoming the first Italian man to win three Grand Slam titles.

The 23-year-old has continued his strong form from the end of last season into this season, extending his career-best winning streak to 21 matches. Despite the uncertainty surrounding his ongoing doping case, Sinner remains an unstoppable force on the court.

Former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, said: "Sinner, if he's not already, he's going to be one of the greatest players we've ever seen. He's in an era where we've just lost a whole bunch of champions, so how many Grand Slams can he win?"

The image of Sinner vomiting into a bin at the side of the court is perhaps not the image many would have predicted to mark the start of a new era of dominance in men's tennis. But that image, when he battled illness at the China Open in October 2023, has become synonymous with Sinner's transformation into a serial winner. He ended up winning that match, and that tournament, and most of the matches he has played in the 15 months since.

Since the Beijing Open, Sinner has a 98-9 record, with three of those losses coming against four-time Grand Slam champion and rival Carlos Alcaraz. Sinner replaced Novak Djokovic as world number one in June 2024, and since then, as the top-ranked male player, he has achieved a record-equalling 47 wins in his first 50 matches, matching Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors. His record in Grand Slam events has also reached 30-2 since winning his first Melbourne title 12 months ago.

Cash said: "Sinner and Alcaraz are way ahead of everybody else. It's going to be a two-horse race until other young guys come through. We used to see it with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, then Andy Murray, Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka. Things change quickly, but for the moment, the Grand Slam races are a one or two-horse race."

Before Sinner became the youngest man to win back-to-back Australian Open men's singles titles since 1993, his co-coaches Simone Vagnozzi and Darren Cahill identified Sinner's maturity as key to his progress. Cahill, the Australian who has coached former number ones Andre Agassi and Andy Murray, said: "He's only 23 but sometimes he feels a lot older and a lot wiser than us. He's an amazing young man. He has matured, not just on the court, but off the court as well. You grow up quickly. You need a smart head on your shoulders. Jannik has that."

Sinner, who is 6ft 3in, moves exceptionally well, combining court-covering agility with impressive stamina. His serve has also improved. Sinner won 91.4% of his service games in 2024, and his 563 aces are up 29% from the previous year and more than 50% from 2022. He leads the tour in second serve points won (57.9%) and, in making Zverev lose his third Grand Slam final, became the fourth man in the last 35 years not to face a single break point in a Grand Slam final.

Perhaps where Sinner differs from most is his resilience in high-pressure moments. He saved a tour-leading 73.7% of break points in 2024, while also ranking second in the number of tie-breaks won (75%). Sinner also credits sleep, including pre-match naps, as a key factor in his success.

Sinner said: "Normally I relax like 20 minutes before the match. I try to sleep as late as possible. I slept maybe 10 hours (before his third-round match). Hopefully I wake up in the key moments." Sinner is the first player since the ATP rankings were established in 1973 to win 10 consecutive matches against top-10 opponents in straight sets.

Despite his strong start to this year mirroring his end to last season, uncertainty remains about his future. Sinner was cleared of any wrongdoing by an independent tribunal after twice testing positive for the banned substance clostebol in March 2024. However, the World Anti-Doping Agency has appealed the ruling and will seek a one to two-year ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport on April 16-17.

The hearing will take place just over five weeks before the second Grand Slam of the year, the French Open, but it is not clear if a ruling will be made before then. His coach Vagnozzi said: "I think Jannik likes this situation, likes being at the point of pressure, in the storm, in the difficult moments. In these moments he plays his best tennis." Former British player Annabel Croft, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, said: "There's a lot still to come. I think you have to admire his attitude of putting everything to one side and just focusing on every point, every day."