John McEnroe lost for words at Alexander Zverev’s ‘flat’ display against Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open final
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner defeated second seed Alexander Zverev in straight sets, successfully defending his Australian Open title.
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John McEnroe on Alexander Zverev (Via X)
While Jannik Sinner won his third Grand Slam title at the 2025 Australian Open, Alexander Zverev lost his third Grand Slam final. Despite many accolades to his name, including an Olympic gold medal, the German is yet to win a Grand Slam title.
Zverev played his first Grand Slam final in 2020 at the US Open where he lost to Dominic Thiem. He lost his next Grand Slam final at the 2024 French Open to Carlos Alcaraz. While these two finals were five-set matches, his third Grand Slam final saw Sinner outplaying him with a straight set victory.
Sinner got into Zverev’s head, I don’t deny it. I thought he would try to enter into a war of attrition, to test Sinner who had cramps two days ago and got sick four days ago. He didn’t succeed, but you have to admit that Jannik took him out of the match.
John McEnroe via Eurosport
Former World No. 1 John McEnroe also commented on Alexander Zverev‘s play calling him ‘flat as a pancake‘. Considering the situations that lead to the build up to the match, Zverev was expected to be more commanding and energetic.
Zverev had played only one set in the semifinal, against Novak Djokovic who retired after a hamstring injury. Jannik Sinner, on the other hand, faced cramps in his semifinal match against Ben Shelton, and experienced bouts of dizziness in his fourth round match against Holger Rune.
Jannik Sinner is “still a work in progress”
Jannik Sinner, despite his health setbacks looked calm and composed throughout the match. While Alexander Zverev’s first serve was effective at times, his second serve faltered under pressure, resulting in several double faults. He struggled to adapt to Sinner’s persistent baseline aggression and superior court coverage.
Additionally, unforced errors during crucial moments, particularly in the second-set tiebreak, subverted his momentum. Zverev’s inability to convert break-points further highlighted his struggles in high-stakes situations, rendering him unable to capitalize on Sinner’s rare lapses.
I was very surprised by Zverev’s level at the end of the second and third sets, I don’t know what happened to him… He had no energy, he was flat as a pancake. He looked like a guy who got sick a few days ago, he looked tired and he played one set in five days. I don’t know what happened.
John McEnroe added
Despite many praising Sinner on his impressive run at the Australian Open 2025, McEnroe gave an ominous warning to the rest of the tennis world by reminding everyone that the Italian is “still a work in progress” and “still young”. The 23-year-old, albeit being a dominant force on the hard court is yet to win a major on grass or clay court.
Sinner won his first Grand Slam title at the 2024 Australian Open, defeating Daniil Medvedev in the finals in five sets, after dropping the first two sets. He won the US Open later in the year, defeating Taylor Fritz in straight sets.
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Lakshya Chopra
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