Defending champion Sinner plays Zverev

It's not often that a man is able to follow up his first Grand Slam title by repeating as the champion at the same tournament a year later, which is what Jannik Sinner will be trying to do Sunday when he faces Alexander Zverev in the Australian Open final.

- Agencies

MELBOURNE:

The last time it happened was nearly 20 years ago: Rafael Nadal accomplished that sort of repeat at the 2005 and 2006 French Opens. He turned out OK.

For the No. 1-ranked Sinner, the past year also included the doping case that is still unresolved. He tested positive for a trace amount of an anabolic steroid twice in March, which didn't become public until his exoneration was announced shortly before the start of play at the US Open—which he won. There is a hearing in the World Anti-Doping Agency's appeal scheduled in April.

"He finds playing tennis matches to be his safe place. That's where he can go and do his thing and feel like this is what he knows, this is what he understands, what he's good at. It became a home for him to step on to the court and play tennis," said one of Sinner's two coaches, Darren Cahill, who will leave the team after this season.