With his victory today in Melbourne, Sinner he becomes the third Italian ever to win a Major tournament, as well as the first to triumph in Australia.
Before him, only Nicola Pietrangeli had won at Roland Garros in 1959 and 1960, while Adriano Panatta had won in Paris in 1976, the year in which Italy won the Davis Cup for the first time after 47 years, thanks also to the great leadership of the South Tyrolean.
For Sinner, born in San Candido and with a past as a good skier, this was his first final in a Major tournament. Likewise, Pietrangeli (with two finals won and two lost, always in France) and Panatta (with one final) were the only other Italians to reach the final.
Matteo Berrettini was a finalist at Wimbledon in 2021, while Giorgio De Stefani was defeated in the final at Roland Garros in 1932. In the other Grand Slam tournaments, Sinner has reached the semifinals at most once, last year in London.
For Medvedev, a 27-year-old Russian, this was his sixth major final. Previously, he had won only at the 2021 US Open, ending Novak Djokovic's Grand Slam dream, while he had lost on all other occasions (twice at the US Open and twice at the Australian Open).
In their previous head-to-heads, Medvedev led 6-3, but Sinner had won their last three meetings, including the success in the semifinal of the recent ATP Finals in Turin. In tomorrow's ATP rankings, Sinner will remain in fourth place, the best placement ever for an Italian, together with Adriano Panatta, but he will get very close to the world podium occupied by Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Medvedev, who will maintain third place.
Experts have the impression that Sinner's climb is destined to continue. Today, the top of the international rankings is no longer a forbidden dream for Italian tennis.
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Article published on 28 January 2024 - 14:28
