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Sinner’s biggest opponent now lies outside the court
The Independent|January 28, 2025
Jannik Sinner was proud.
- JAMIE BRAIDWOOD
Sinner’s biggest opponent now lies outside the court

The 23-year-old had become the first Italian to win three grand slam singles titles, defending his Australian Open crown with a ruthless and dominant straightsets win over Alexander Zverev. His beaten opponent revealed the difference between the world’s No 1 and No 2 at a hard-court grand slam. He is in a different universe,” Zverev said. For Sinner, a third grand slam title in a row on the surface and a continuation of his winning run put him among all-time legends of the game. Sinner’s achievements over the past 12 months have placed him on a path to greatness.

But Sinner remarked that he took pride in another aspect of his Melbourne defence. For the second grand slam in a row, Sinner was a level above his rivals, exuding calm and composure, while playing with the stress and uncertainty of a potentially careeraltering court date approaching on the horizon. In April, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will hear an appeal from the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) after Sinner was cleared of blame following two positive doping tests for an anabolic steroid last March.

This story is from the January 28, 2025 edition of The Independent.

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Sinner’s biggest opponent now lies outside the court
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This story is from the January 28, 2025 edition of The Independent.

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