New Delhi: If there is a human version of a bulldozer doing the destruction job and leaving behind a pile of rubble resembling the Gaza Strip, it has to be Jannik Sinner.
On Sunday, the Italian was in such a punitive mood that he did not face a single break point, mowing down Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 in two hours and 42 minutes to hold onto the Australian Open trophy. Such a ruthless approach, speed, and control have not been seen Down Under in a long time. Agreed, Novak Djokovic has won 10 times here, but the way Sinner has been going about his job leaves his opponents crying in pain.
No, one is not talking about pain in the physical sense of injury. This is the pain of being helpless against a player who has raised himself to such heights that he towers like a giant. What is there to rave about in Jannik Sinner’s game? He is blessed with almost everything, and the authority he showcases is beyond comparison.
People have talked about two young men who will dominate world tennis: Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. No, Sinner leaves the Spaniard behind by miles in every way.
There has been intense pressure on Sinner, even though his doping case will come up before the CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport) in April.
He has been dragged to CAS by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which will press for a two-year ban. Forget for a while that Sinner flunked two doping tests last year when he tested positive for Clostebol. Yes, he was cleared by the ITIA, an independent agency, but players, coaches, and many fans are angry.
If you do not want to be judgmental and simply appreciate the tennis Sinner produces repeatedly, it is out of this world. What he is doing is something that can only be dreamt of.
Yes, many champions have emerged at the Australian Open before Sinner, but in the modern age where tennis is more about speed, fitness, and killing the opponent’s chances, Sinner shows no mercy.
For Zverev, who was kind to Novak Djokovic when the crowd booed him a few days ago at the Rod Laver Arena, this loss was decapitating. It left him watching like a bystander as Sinner threw himself into top gear by hitting the overdrive button. It is not easy to produce such a tapestry of tennis through every round, where perfection becomes a norm rather than an exception.
If you look at the match stats, Sinner was on song. He was winning points on his first serve at 84 percent, unleashing winners on either flank with gusto. That he came up with an aggregate of 32 winners makes it clear he loves this high-energy and high-intensity style. And when you add the fewer number of unforced errors from his racquet – 27 compared to Zverev’s 45 – the picture is complete.
At the net, too, for variety, Sinner was excelling. It is not easy to produce these shots on the Australian Open hard courts, but Sinner shows he can play every stroke.
What does one say of a man who began his voyage last year at the AO, then ran into trouble? To seal the US Open last year despite the hostility, to triumph in the year-end ATP Championship, and also peak in the Davis Cup finals for Italy, Sinner has become a legend.
He has that monk-like meditative approach, and it has helped him so far. Whether the CAS will be kind to him in April, nobody knows. Sinner’s fans will have to keep their fingers crossed. For the time being, he can enjoy this high and take a walk along the Yarra River on Monday as well in Melbourne.