And just like that Jannik Sinner dominated the Rod Laver Arena twice. The World No.1 extended his Grand Slam count to three on Sunday as he beat Alexander Zverev in straight sets. With a final score line of 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-3 after two hours and 42 minutes, the Italian created history and defended his first-ever Slam win from 2024. As the epic showdown came to an end, it didn’t take long for tennis legends to extend their wishes. Among them were also two GOATS, Novak Djokovic and former ATP pro Rafael Nadal. However, their ways of praising were quite strange, especially in the case of the 14-time Roland Garros king.

With his win on Sunday, Sinner became the first player, since Rafael Nadal, to defend a maiden Major title. The Spaniard had pulled off this feat at the French Open when he became back-t0-back clay court king in 2005 and 2006. Not to mention The Fox is now the fifth player to win three successive Grand Slams on hard courts in the Open Era. Last season, he won the US Open after clinching the trophy down under in January 2024.

After his convincing victory, former World No.1 and 24-time Major winner Novak Djokovic congratulated the Italian. In an Instagram story, dated January 26, he simply wrote, “Auguri Jannik 👏🙌,” meaning ‘Best wishes Jannik.’ But Djoker didn’t forget the runner-up and World No.2 Alexander Zverev either. He had some great words of motivation for him after he missed out on winning his first Major, yet again. The Serbian wrote, “Sascha, keep believing my friend! You have IT in you 💪”

Him giving a shoutout to Zverev was also due to another reason. During the semifinal when Djoker decided to retire due to his hamstring injury and a section from the crowd booed him, it was the German who defended him saying, “The very first thing I want to say is, please guys don’t boo a player when he goes out with injury,” while adding that “Novak Djokovic is somebody that has given this sport for the past 20 years absolutely everything of his life.”

Strangely, though, 22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal somehow snubbed the German. Instead, he shared an Instagram story praising Sinner’s Australian Open win. He wrote in Spanish, “Congratulazioni Jan @janniksin Impressionante 🙌”

Coming back to the Fox’s rival in the final, he was left dejected after the loss. After all, it was the third Slam final where he failed to go past the finish line. However, Sinner consoled him with inspiring words.

Jannik Sinner shares heartfelt gesture towards Alexander Zverev after devastating loss

For the unversed, Alexander Zverev first reached a Slam final way back in 2020. During the US Open title clash, he played against Dominic Thiem who beat him in a tense battle with a score line of 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6. The second time the German was in a final was at last year’s French Open. In the championship match, he was playing against former World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz. While Zverev took a solid lead in first three sets, he couldn’t hold it for too long. Eventually, the Spaniard took the trophy with a score line of 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2.

So it was understandable to see Zverev getting disappointed, and in tears, when he lost Sunday’s final. Jannik Sinner knew how much the title meant to his opponent as much as it meant to him. Showing a great spirit, the Italian walked over to him after the match and consoled him. Then during the award ceremony at Rod Laver Arena, he shared a special message for Zverev.

Sinner said, “A tough day for you and your whole team, your family. You have an incredible team behind you.” Continuing further he added, “You are an amazing player. Keep believing in yourself because I think we all players and everyone involved in this sport knows how strong you are as a player but also as a person so keep it up, keep working hard. We all believe that you can lift this (AO title) very soon. (I) Wish you only the best.”

Truly, that was a sweet gesture from him. After all, sports is all about showing a positive spirit towards one another. It was on full display from Sinner’s side at Rod Laver Arena. As for Zverev, hopefully, he will leave behind this defeat and succeed in lifting his first Slam soon. Do you think he’ll be able to do it this season? Let us know in the comments below.