Jannik Sinner channelizes his inner Rafael Nadal pulling off an epic comeback against Daniil Medvedev to win his maiden Grand Slam title at the 2024 Australian Open finals

Jannik Sinner makes a comeback for ages as he comes from two sets down to beat Daniil Medvedev at the 2024 Australian Open finals.

Jannik Sinner channelizes his inner Rafael Nadal pulling off an epic comeback against Daniil Medvedev to win his maiden Grand Slam title at the 2024 Australian Open finals

Jannik Sinner (Credits: Sky Sport)

The wait for Italy is finally over. Jannik Sinner is a Grand Slam champion. The World No. 4 was up against World No. 3 Daniil Medvedev in the finals of the 2024 Australian Open, competing in his debut Major final. 

Having lost the first two sets, things looked difficult for the Italian. He, however, took inspiration from a certain Rafael Nadal and came from two sets down to win the Australian Open title 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 in 3 hours and 44 minutes. 

Both men were looking for their first-ever title at the ‘Happy Slam‘. Medvedev had been a 2-time runner-up at the Major, losing the finals in 2021 and 2022. 

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For Sinner, it was his first-ever appearance in a Grand Slam finals, let alone the Australian Open.

It was a good start for the former US Open champ, who broke early in both the first two sets. The Italian’s nervousness was on display, especially in the first set. He recovered better from the second set onward, putting on a good fight.

The first set was all about the nerves of Sinner affecting him. Both men held their serves in the first games, but Medvedev quickly broke in the third game. Holding his serve, he made it 3-1, taking an early lead. Sinner improved on his service game but couldn’t break Medvedev. 

At 5-3 with Sinner on serve, Medvedev held two set points at 40-15. The Italian however, fought bravely and defended them. The Russian won the tiebreaker‘s first point, creating a third set point, which he converted successfully. He clinched the first set 6-3 in 36 minutes to draw the first blood. 

Jannik Sinner found his groove from the second set

The second set got off to a lengthy start with a 13-minute game with World No. 4 on the serve. He eventually managed to fend off the breakpoint opportunity for the Russian. But that was the only service game he could hold. Medvedev held and broke in four consecutive games to make it 5-1. 

Jannik Sinner
Jannik Sinner’s celebration after reaching the 2024 Australian Open finals after defeating Novak Djokovic (Credits – CNN)

Serving for the second set, Medvedev found himself saving two breakpoints. He managed to defend only the first one, as Sinner finally got his first break of the match to make it 5-2. The Italian held his own to make it 5-3, putting some pressure on the former World No. 1. 

Having gotten another shot to win the set on his serve, Medvedev found himself trailing at 0-30. He won three points on the trot to hold a set point, but Sinner stopped him in his tracks. The Italian then created a breakpoint opportunity for him as crowd support grew for him. 

Medvedev remained calm and, after defending the breakpoint, won the second set point to take a 2-0 lead in the match. The Russian won the second set in 49 minutes, despite some good fightback from the Italian, who looked more comfortable as compared to the first set. 

The third set started as the most competitive one, with both men holding their serves to make it 4-4. The Italian’s serve remained untouched as he made it 5-4, transferring all the pressure on Medvedev as he came within touching distance of winning the third set. 

Sinner made the most of the situation, as he took an early lead in the game and held on to it. Despite making it 40-40, Medvedev lost the game and eventually the set as Sinner won his first set of the finals at 6-4. 

Daniil Medvedev suffered a mid-match injury easing things for Sinner

The fourth set started on a difficult note for Medvedev. Despite his extended break, he had to call his medical team at the end of the third game with trouble in his right foot. Images revealed it to be blisters, and the Russian had to receive treatment before getting back on the court. 

Daniil Medvedev
Daniil Medvedev receives treatment for his leg injury (Credits: Twitter)

At 3-3, Sinner found himself in a tough spot as he was made to defend a breakpoint. He showed his composure and fended it off to win the game and make it 4-3. Medvedev had to survive a similar situation, but the result was no different as the two men could not be separated with a score of 4-4.

Sinner followed the third set’s template to make it 5-4 and then win on the Russian’s serve. He forced the fifth set, and echoes of the 2022 defeat at the hands of Nadal started for the third seed. The Italian earned a crucial break at 3-2 and did not let go of that chance to clinch the title. 

He now joins 24-time Grand Slam champ Novak Djokovic, 22-time Grand Slam title winner Nadal, and 3-time Major winner Stan Wawrinka as the only active men to have won the prestigious Australian Open. 

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