Jannik Sinner is pretty close to clinching his second consecutive AO title. He has already won the first two sets and has been looking good against Alexander Zverev in the third as well! If he becomes the back-to-back champion, he will join the elite AO list comprising the likes of tennis legends like Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Andre Agassi. Jannik Sinner has idolized Roger Federer while growing up and he has spoken about his admiration for the Swiss Maestro time and again in his previous interviews. So, it’ll be a massive moment for this young Italian if he manages to clinch the title on Sunday. However, his incredible net play has already started to remind the fans of Federer.

Roger Federer was always known for his all-court and all-around game. His speed, fluid style of play, and exceptional shot-making skills made him one of the most special players on the Tour. Talking about speciality, well his net play was the most special among all of them. The way he used to cover in the net in his playing days was truly exceptional. Now, Jannik Sinner’s incredible net play in the first set of this epic final reminds the fans and tennis experts of Roger Federer. Recently, renowned tennis journalist, Bastien Fachan shared a tweet highlighting that moment with the caption, “The net coverage… Welcome back Roger Federer.”

Jannik Sinner has so far won 10/13 (77%) net points against Alexander Zverev in this epic final. We’re in the third set. It’ll be interesting to see if this number notches up further after the end of this epic battle or not. With Roger Federer, we have time and again seen his opponents heaping praise on his incredible skills. For example, after the 2005 US Open final, Andre Agassi was heard saying, “When I faced Roger Federer in the 2005 US Open final, there was no safe place to put a ball on the court. Roger’s serve, return, movements and net game were incredible; his versatility was so strong that he might have had five things individually better than everybody else on the Tour.”

There have been many such moments in his career, where his opponents have literally been stunned by his incredible skills at the net. Jannik Sinner is perhaps now trying to emulate a bit of his tennis idol. Wait a minute! Is Jannik Sinner a big fan of Roger Federer?

In 2023, during an interview with Libero Quotidiano, Jannik Sinner was asked to name his tennis idol. In reply to that he revealed, “It has always been Roger Federer. I dreamed of playing with him but unfortunately, it never happened. Who knows if one day we will be able to do a performance together. I’d really like to. He is a very good person as well as being a great champion.” He didn’t have the chance to play with his tennis idol, because Roger Federer took his retirement from tennis in September 2022.

Although he didn’t get the chance to play against him, Jannik Sinner did follow his matches during his playing days. Which is his favorite moment from Roger Federer’s illustrious career, though? Well, in the same year, in another interview, the Italian said, “Favorite moment of his career? Difficult to choose one, but I would say the victory in Australia in 2017. Which player comes to mind when I think of grass? Federer, of course.” Roger Federer has won the AO title six times in his career. Can Jannik Sinner win it for the second time in a row?

Jannik Sinner clinches the 2025 Australian Open title

Yes, he can! Now, as we were wondering whether he could replicate his idol’s astonishing feat of multiple AO titles, just within a blink of an eye, Jannik Sinner managed to successfully beat Alexander Zverev by 6-3,7-6(4),6-3 in the final. He has now become the first man to defend his first Grand Slam title since Rafael Nadal. This man has gone through a lot over the last few months. Starting from the doping saga and then facing the backlash from his peers and fans for the same. No matter what came his way, the way he managed to keep his head calm and his focus intact, has truly been praiseworthy.

He has now also become the first Italian man in the history of the sport to win back-to-back AO singles titles. In fact, no other Italian man has won three Grand Slam singles titles in their career! Before this match, we saw his opponent, Alexander Zverev say, “Look, I think Jannik has been the best player in the world for the past 12 months. There’s no doubt about it. Won two Grand Slams. Has been very, very stable in those regards. So definitely one of the best players in the world.” Even Jannik Sinner spoke about how Zverev was desperately eyeing to clinch his maiden Grand Slam title.

However, things didn’t go as per the plans for the German. So, close yet so far for the third time in his career! Previously, Alexander Zverev was defeated at the 2020 US Open and 2024 French Open finals, and as things look like, the wait has now perhaps gone even longer! He looked absolutely shattered after this loss, and Jannik Sinner even went up to him to put his arms on his shoulders to console him.

What did Zevrev say about Jannik Sinner after this match? “It sucks standing next to this thing and not being able to touch it. 😂Congrats to Jannik. You’re the best player in the world by far. I was hoping I could be more competitive today. You’re just too good. You really deserve it. Congrats to your team as well. There’s no one that deserves this trophy more,” said the German. Share your thoughts on this epic battle. Do you think Alexander Zverev can win a major title in 2025?