Sound reasons why Jannik Sinner can clinch his maiden Grand Slam

“The sound of the ball when he hits it, it's pretty amazing, isn't it?” said tennis coach Darren Cahill on Friday, referring to his charge Jannik Sinner. It really is! That was the first thing I noticed when I stood among a small group of people watching Sinner make his Grand Slam qualifying debut back in 2019 on the lawns of Roehampton. It was the first round of Wimbledon qualifying and the then 17-year-old Sinner was engaged in a titanic battle with Australian lefty Alex Bolt, who is nearly 10 years his senior. Bolt won the clash 12-10 in the third but it was Sinner who grabbed everyone’s attention, the incredible pace of his ball and brutal shot-making earning him winners we could hardly believe were possible. The qualifying rounds for Wimbledon do not take place at the All England Club and instead are held at the Community Sport Centre Roehampton. The Sinner-Bolt match was scheduled later in the day on one of the courts farthest from the media tent. But it didn’t take long before a text chain began among journalists on-site, urging everyone to head across the field to check out this tall and lanky Italian teenager pummelling the ball in breathtaking style. The sound coming off of the strings of his racquet really is something else! Fast-forward three and a half years and Sinner is ready to compete in his first Grand Slam final at the Australian Open on Sunday, after pulling off one of the toughest feats in tennis – defeating Novak Djokovic on Rod Laver Arena. The first Italian in history to reach the title decider in singles at the Australian Open, Sinner snapped Djokovic’s 33-match winning streak at the tournament on Friday, handing the Serb his first ever loss in 11 semi-final appearances at Melbourne Park. “He just played a flawless match,” said Djokovic afterwards. Against arguably the best returner tennis has ever seen, Sinner faced zero break points in his four-set triumph over Djokovic to storm into the final at the loss of just one set through six rounds. The 22-year-old has lost his serve just twice in 88 service games so far this fortnight and will be up against a resilient, albeit exhausted, Daniil Medvedev in the final on Sunday. Sinner’s talent has been undeniable from the start. “I think on ESPN maybe three years ago I may have said courtside that this kid could be a future No 1. He was that good that early,” recalled Cahill, who co-coaches Sinner alongside Simone Vagnozzi. But as Carlos Alcaraz exploded on to the scene, winning the US Open at 19 to become the youngest world No 1 in ATP history, Sinner’s progress appeared slower in comparison, and he lost some heartbreakers on the sport’s biggest stages. In the Wimbledon quarter-finals in 2022, Sinner led Djokovic by two sets to love before succumbing in five. A couple of months later in the US Open quarters, Sinner lost to Alcaraz in one of the best tennis matches of this century – a five-setter that ended at nearly 3:00am in New York. Last season, in his first Grand Slam semi-final at Wimbledon, Sinner fell to Djokovic in straight sets, before making a fourth-round exit at the US Open in five sets against Alexander Zverev. But despite these disappointments, Sinner finished his 2023 season with a bang, winning 20 of his last 22 matches – a stretch that included title runs in Beijing and Vienna, a runner-up appearance at the ATP Finals, and a Davis Cup title triumph with his Italian teammates. What’s more impressive than these results is who they have come against. Sinner claimed nine victories over top-10-ranked opposition in the last three months of his 2023 campaign and enters Sunday’s Australian Open final having won nine of his last 10 matches against the top five. The Italian was 0-3 against Djokovic early on their rivalry but has since won three of their last four encounters. He was 0-6 against Medvedev before clinching his last three clashes with the Russian. Turning around these head-to-head records has instilled great confidence in Sinner. “When you play a certain style of tennis and you keep taking losses, you can't keep doing the same thing,” explained Cahill. “You have to change and your game has to evolve. That's what Jannik has been attempting to do for the last couple of years. That's a great quality and that's what he needs to continue to do. Never stop evolving and never stop getting better.” Experience will be on Medvedev’s side on Sunday as the world No 3 contests the sixth Grand Slam final of his career, while Sinner will be playing his first. But Medvedev, who is seeking a second major trophy, has had a gruelling path to the final, spending 20 hours and 33 minutes on court and coming back from two sets to love down on two occasions, including against Zverev in the semis on Friday. Sinner on the other hand has spent nearly six fewer hours on court compared to his opponent and will no doubt be the fresher of the two when they square off on Rod Laver Arena (not before 12:30pm UAE time). “I'm really relaxed, to be honest,” said the fourth-ranked Sinner on Friday. “I just try to work as hard as possible and, in my mind, I feel like the hard work always pays off in one way, and we are working really hard for our dreams.” The hard work may very well pay off for Sinner on Sunday.