After successfully defending his Australian Open title, Jannik Sinner says he feels differently to his first triumph a year ago.
The Italian made his second victory look easier than the first triumph as Sinner went to lift the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup in 2025 after dropping just two sets.
He took control of Sunday’s final against Alexander Zverev by winning the first set and after edging a second set tiebreak, there was no stopping the World number one.
Sunday’s victory marked the third Grand Slam title of Jannik Sinner‘s career, each of which have come on hard courts.
Jannik Sinner assesses how second Australian Open title feels compared to the first one
Sinner became the first player since Rafael Nadal in 18 years to successfully defend his first Grand Slam title.
The Spaniard went back-to-back at the French Open in 2005 and 2006, beating Mariano Puerta and Roger Federer in those finals.
Sinner defeated Novak Djokovic to reach the 2024 final before coming from two sets down to beat Daniil Medvedev to win his first title.
The 23-year-old dropped just one set on the way to victory in 2025 and did not face a break point in the final, becoming the first player to achieve that feat since Nadal at the 2017 US Open.
Reflecting on his title defence, Sinner explained how this victory feels different compared to his success at Melbourne Park a year ago.
“The first one is more kind of relief. It’s different. It gives you the [knowledge] that you can do it if you play some great tennis,” he told reporters. “The second one, this one, maybe you enjoy it a bit more because it’s different.
“But every Grand Slam, or every tournament you win, or you go far, it has its own story. You have to pass difficulties, like I did also this year here, and this makes it very, very special.”
Where was Jannik Sinner due to play after the Australian Open?
Following his Australian Open success Sinner was due to play at the Rotterdam Open, where he is the defending champion.
But the ATP Tour’s highest-ranked player has since confirmed that he will miss the event as he recovers from defending the title Down Under.
“After consulting with my team we had to take the difficult decision to withdraw from the ABN AMRO Open,” said Sinner.
“My body needs time to rest after the long run in Australia. I have great memories from winning the title in front of amazing crowds at Rotterdam Ahoy last year.
“I hope to be back there soon. I wish [tournament director] Richard [Krajicek] and the whole team a great event.”
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