Jannik Sinner was in imperious form in his semi-final victory over Ben Shelton (Image: Getty Images)
and Alexander Zverev have had a testy relationship in the past as the stars will square off against each other in the final on Sunday (January 26). The 23-year-old is the defending champion of the tournament and was in sumptous form when he bested Ben Shelton in straight sets to mark a third consecutive appearance in a Grand Slam final.
Zverev, 27, secured his passage into the final after retired due to injury during their semi-final clash. The German star had won their first set before the Serb decided he could not continue. The Italian now stands in the way of Zverev claiming a long-awaited Grand Slam title while the Hamburg native could throw a spanner in the works of the world number one’s dominance Down Under.
There’s been plenty of twists and turns in the relationship between the two tennis players who’ve faced each other six times, with Zverev coming out on top in four of their matches. However, their clash on Sunday will be the first taking place in a Grand Slam final as Express Sport has the low-down on the history that exists between them.
Sinner blasts Zverev
It was back in 2020 when their rivalry was initially sparked after Zverev was bounced out by a then-19-year-old Sinner in the fourth round of the French Open. Following his defeat, the three-time Grand Slam finalist claimed he had felt unwell prior to their match – a confession that didn’t go down well with Sinner who accused his rival of “making excuses”.
“I respect him a lot because he’s won more than me, he’s got more experience on the circuit, and he’s a great player,” Sinner told Corriere. “However, I do not respect his statements after his defeat to me at Roland Garros. He contradicted himself a lot. He said he had a fever, but in the third and fourth sets, he ran more than me.
He cited the humbleness of and in defeat in his criticism of Zverev. “It seems to me that he was looking for an excuse after his defeat,” Sinner added. “Federer or Nadal, for example, would never have said such things.”
Zverev verdict on Sinner rivalry
While Zverev has enjoyed big moments in the sport such as winning Olympic gold in Tokyo 2020 and winning the 2018 and the 2021 ATP Finals, a Grand Slam title has continued to elude him. Having come up short in the US Open final in 2020 and the French Open final in 2024, he spoke up on his rivalry with Sinner and and sounded off on what he believes he must do to defeat them.
“I think now those guys, 90 per cent of the time they’re only playing offence. It’s about making sure that you can keep up offensively with them, being able to keep up with their speeds of groundstrokes as well. That’s the number one thing. Not backing off, going for your shots in the most important moments.
“That’s maybe where I struggled, as well, in my career, trusting my shots and going for them when I need to. I think personally that’s something that I still continue to need to work on. Hopefully next year’s going to be even better. I think I personally think about trying to win big tournaments, trying to improve for next year to be able to compete with Carlos and with Jannik. That’s more on my mind.
Alexander Zverev will hope to claim his first Grand Slam title against his Italian rival (Image: Getty Images)
‘Hitler anthem’ controversy
During Zverev’s fourth round US Open win over Sinner in 2023, a tennis fan was kicked out of the match after the German accused him of “singing the anthem of Hitler”. Zverev had suddenly stopped the match in the fourth set and immediately made a beeline for the umpire as he pointed out the fan.
“He just said the most famous Hitler phrase there is in this world,” Zverev had told umpire James Keothavong. “It’s not acceptable.” While the official asked the man to identify himself, he did not come forward but upon the restart of the match, members of the crowd had identified the fan who was subsequently removed by security. Following his win, he said: “He started singing the anthem of Hitler that was back in the day. It was ‘Deutschland Uber Alles’ and it was a bit too much.”
Jovial moments
It hasn’t been all conflict between the pair as fans got to see them have a friendly exchange after Sinner was presented with an award for having the best hair on the ATP Tour. During an interview at the ATP Finals, the confused Italian was handed the miniscule and asked the interviewer: “I have the best hair?”
As he looked at his latest triumph, Zverev made a surprise appearance in the interview as he was left baffled by the decision to crown Sinner with the best barnet, instead of himself. “He has the best hair? What the hell is this? I grew my hair for three years for this award and you’re giving it to…. Ahh come on now. I’m never going to win,” the German jokingly exclaimed.
The humble Sinner handed the award to Zverev who took hold of it and said: “Thank you. I won this award” before handing it back to his on-court rival as he added: “No, I’m kidding.”
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Mutual respect
Despite the back and forths the pair have had in the past, fast forward to 2025, respect is prevalent in the way they speak about each other publicly with Zverev opening up about training with Sinner when he was a teenager and admiring the heights he’s reached at such a young age. “I’ve known him since he was 16 or 17 years old,” he said prior to the .
“He trained with Riccardo Piatti near Monte Carlo. Whenever it rained, we went there because there was a hall there. So I’ve known him since he was a young boy at the academy. In terms of tennis, he absolutely deserves to be number one in the world. He has won two Grand Slam titles, three Masters titles, and the ATP Finals. He is the best player in the world, he has won the most titles.”
The respect is certainly mutual as Sinner admitted that he’ll have to put on a major fight to best Zverev in a final. “It will be a very tough match,” he said after his win over Shelton. “We had some tough matches in the past. Everything can happen. He is an incredible player, he is looking for his first major and there is going to be a lot of tension again.”