And that’s a wrap at the Australian Open! Jannik Sinner has successfully defended his crown in Melbourne, outclassing Alexander Zverev with a commanding 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 win in the final. While the Italian celebrated his third Grand Slam title, it was heartbreak once again for Zverev, who now finds himself in an unenviable position. What does he have to say about his third Grand Slam final loss?

The German star has now lost all three of his Grand Slam finals. It started with a gut-wrenching five-set loss to Dominic Thiem at the 2020 US Open, followed by another five-setter defeat to Carlos Alcaraz at Roland Garros last year. Now, with this Australian Open loss, Zverev becomes the 7th player to join the unfortunate list of players in the Open Era to lose their first three major finals.

The frustration was evident in Zverev’s post-match comments. “I don’t want to end my career as the best player to never win a Grand Slam. I’m serving better than [Jannik] but that’s it, he does everything else better than me.”

While Zverev’s pain was palpable, there was no denying Jannik Sinner’s brilliance. The Italian was untouchable on serve throughout the match. In fact, he didn’t face a single break point during the entire finale, a rare feat in Grand Slam history. Sinner now joins an elite club, becoming only the third man since 2000 to achieve this, alongside legends Roger Federer (2003 Wimbledon) and Rafael Nadal (2017 US Open).

Zverev, on the other hand, had no such luck. The German faced 10 break points and was unable to convert even one opportunity to pressure Sinner’s serve. The Italian’s dominance extended to the baseline rallies, where he kept Zverev on the backfoot with relentless precision and depth.

The heartbreak was evident on the German tennis star as he almost broke down before the presentation ceremony and the World No.1 walked over to him to console him.

It was a tough match for the runner-up. We could feel Zverev’s frustration boil over after he lost the second set. The 27-year-old had a little outburst. Find out what happened.

Alexander Zverev smashed racket in frustration during the final clash

Alexander Zverev’s frustration reached its peak during the second set. After forcing a tie-breaker, the German tennis star managed to stay level until 4-4, but things quickly unraveled. A critical point off his own serve went against him when the ball clipped the net and dropped out of reach. That moment seemed to break his resolve.

As Sinner took the set, Zverev let his emotions get the better of him. He stormed to his seat and vented his anger by smashing his racquet not once, but repeatedly. The German hit the racquet against his seat and even onto other racquets nearby.

Luckily for Zverev, he managed to avoid a code violation. Since the racket abuse occurred near his equipment and not on the court, he dodged a fine. While the moment highlighted his frustration, the Australian Open runner-up quickly composed himself and returned to the court. This loss will sting for a while, but Zverev’s journey is far from over. Zverev, who has 23 ATP titles, is arguably one of the best players in the history of men’s tennis without a major.

As for Sinner, his dominance continues, and his third Grand Slam title has firmly established him as one of the top players of his generation. Can Zverev regroup and finally break his Grand Slam curse?