- Sinner said tennis needs new champs after a historic Aussie Open win.
- 22-year-old Italian claimed his first Grand Slam title.
- He became the youngest Melbourne champion since Djokovic in 2008.
The Italian, who is 22 years old, secured his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open on Sunday.
Sinner defeated Daniil Medvedev in five sets and became the first champion at Melbourne Park in a decade who was not Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer — the three players who have ruled tennis for 20 years.
Djokovic has maintained his excellence in his mid-thirties which has postponed the fall of the “Big Three” but with Federer already retired and Nadal likely to follow him this year, there is room for others to rise to the top of the sport.
“It’s quite unpredictable what’s coming in the future but still it’s nice to be part of this generation,” Sinner said as he posed with his trophy in Melbourne’s Botanical Gardens on Monday.
“I think the next generation is something that this sport needs and it’s also a little bit of a game-changer.”
Sinner was the youngest Australian Open men’s singles winner since Djokovic won the first of his 10 Melbourne Park titles in 2008 and even though he beat the 24-times Grand Slam champion in the semi-finals, the Italian did not make any comparisons.
“He is a different league,” he said. “I’m just happy I have this trophy for this year and then we see what’s coming. There is still a lot of work to do but I will enjoy my process and then we see what I can achieve in the future.”
Sinner, known for his crisp hitting, also showed his calm attitude on court on Sunday as he survived an early attack from Medvedev before making a huge comeback from two sets down to win the title.
Although he collapsed to the Rod Laver Arena court after the final point, there was no big display of emotions as Sinner celebrated the biggest victory of his career.
"There were so many emotions in my head and the hard work and the sacrifices I've done throughout my career," he explained.
"Sharing this moment with my team was maybe the best feeling I've had until now.
"It's great emotions, I was just happy, yesterday I still maybe couldn't believe and now I'm starting to realise it, so it's a great feeling."
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