Australian Open: Jannik Sinner sinks Daniil Medvedev in epic comeback to seal maiden Grand Slam title

Jannik Sinner concluded a monumental run at the 2024 Australian Open with the ultimate glory as he stormed back to beat Daniil Medvedev in a five-set epic, 3-6 3-6 6-4 6-4 6-3, in the final at Melbourne Park.

The indefatigable Medvedev broke the record for the most time spent on court in a single Grand Slam - a remarkable effort in itself - but it was the 22-year-old from Italy who emerged after three hours and 44 minutes with the crown after a famous comeback from two sets down.

It was further heartbreak for the No. 3 seed, who has now lost out in three finals in Melbourne. 'The Octopus' came into the showdown having racked up a quite incredible 20 hours and 33 minutes on court and battled through three five-set matches en route to the showpiece match, but he could not sustain his level after two wonderfully aggressive sets.

In clinching glory, Sinner became the fifth Italian player to win a Grand Slam title and the first at Melbourne Park as he refused to accept his fate when looking out of the contest after two sets, and ultimately outlasted his exhausted opponent.

Medvedev had won six of the nine previous matches he has played against Sinner, and he got off to an electrifying start by constantly coming to the net, shortening points and deservedly taking an early break of serve.

The No. 3 seed's ultra-attacking intent continued in a fine fashion as he consolidated his break of serve and continued to take the initiative to keep Sinner extremely quiet. Indeed, it was no surprise whatsoever when he clinched the opening set with little resistance after just 35 minutes.

The Italian and his coaching camp knew that he simply had to make a stronger start to the second set and adapt to Medvedev's assertive play, but it was certainly not easy going for him as he sought to do so. The fourth seed had to battle through an extended, gruelling deuce to eventually hold serve under enormous pressure in his opening game.

The ease at which Medvedev was consistently able to hold serve was in stark contrast to Sinner having to endure an epic tussle in seemingly every game on his own delivery. Eventually, the pressure took its toll on the No. 4 seed as Medvedev ruthlessly broke serve once more to lead 3-1 in the second set.

While the pre-match narrative may have been that the third seed would be physically and mentally exhausted after his marathon exploits in the previous rounds, it was Sinner who looked sluggish while he looked incredibly sharp around the court as he consolidated once more.

Medvedev had to endure a bit of a nervy wobble on his serve before he closed out the second set in 49 minutes, but all it really did was demonstrate his determination and resolve that the day was going to belong to him.

Sinner was visibly frustrated at times at the start of the third set, but he did manage to keep his composure and establish himself on the scoreboard early on to make his opponent work for every game. This passage of play would later prove absolutely crucial.

It took until the seventh game of the third set for Sinner to finally record his first hold-to-love on his serve, and he kicked on from there very effectively as he broke Medvedev with a flurry of rasping groundstrokes to grab the third set 6-4.

A love hold gave the 22-year-old a strong start to the fourth set, and what ensued was more titanic tennis as the pair traded blows from the back of the court.

Eventually, it was Medvedev who buckled under the pressure as Sinner again pounced to break at the business end of the second set in succession to take the match into a thrilling decider - much to the delight of the overjoyed fans inside Rod Laver Arena.

It was abundantly clear come the fifth set that the No. 3 seed was understandably drained, and Sinner ensured that he maintained his own level to execute what he needed to against his exhausted opponent.

A single break of serve from the Italian reasserted his authority at this stage of a gruelling encounter, and he barely showed any nerves at all as he served for the championship in very impressive fashion to clinch his first Grand Slam title.

For Medvedev, in the end this was not the joyous conclusion he desperately desired after what has been a monumental effort in Melbourne this fortnight as he was unable to enjoy following up his maiden Grand Slam triumph at the US Open in 2021.

"I want to congratulate Jannik," he said in a typically gracious speech. "Today, you showed again why you deserve it. You fought till the end, managed to raise your level. You and your team are doing an amazing job. You win a lot of tournaments, make a lot of finals, and that’s probably not your last Grand Slam. I hope I can try and get the next one because it’s been three finals in a row. I’ll try my best to do better next time, but congrats to you, you deserve it."

Sinner, though, was left to celebrate what will surely be the first of many Grand Slam titles as he emulated his compatriot Flavia Pennetta, who won the women’s singles title at the 2015 US Open, and had until Sunday been the most-recent Italian to have enjoyed Grand Slam singles glory.

"Daniil, I want to congratulate you and your team for an amazing tournament again," Sinner said in his victory speech. "I know we played in so many finals together already, but every match I find something where I can improve, and you make me a much better player. Your effort has been awesome throughout the whole tournament; the hours on court and today’s effort, running for every ball is remarkable to see. I hope you can lift this trophy; I’m sure you can. I wish you all the best for the season."

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