Sinner’s biggest opponent now lies outside the court

Jannik Sinner was proud.

- JAMIE BRAIDWOOD

The 23-year-old had become the first Italian to win three grand slam singles titles, defending his Australian Open crown with a ruthless and dominant straightsets win over Alexander Zverev. His beaten opponent revealed the difference between the world’s No 1 and No 2 at a hard-court grand slam. He is in a different universe,” Zverev said. For Sinner, a third grand slam title in a row on the surface and a continuation of his winning run put him among all-time legends of the game. Sinner’s achievements over the past 12 months have placed him on a path to greatness.

But Sinner remarked that he took pride in another aspect of his Melbourne defence. For the second grand slam in a row, Sinner was a level above his rivals, exuding calm and composure, while playing with the stress and uncertainty of a potentially careeraltering court date approaching on the horizon. In April, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will hear an appeal from the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) after Sinner was cleared of blame following two positive doping tests for an anabolic steroid last March.