AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 27, 2025

Jannik Sinner

Press Conference

J. SINNER/A. Zverev

6-3, 7-6, 6-3

CRAIG TILEY: Jannik, congratulations. Second straight Australian Open title, and the style you did it these past two weeks is brilliant.

You know and I think the world media know that you are an absolute pleasure to have around. What people don't see perhaps behind the scenes... But your character and the way you treat people is very honorable.

JANNIK SINNER: Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Thank you.

CRAIG TILEY: To Jannik's win and to the great two weeks that he's had. Cheers, everyone.

JANNIK SINNER: Cheers, everyone.

THE MODERATOR: Jannik, well done. Do you feel like you saved your best tennis for the final? What were you most impressed with in your game tonight?

JANNIK SINNER: Well, it was an amazing performance from my side. I felt like I was in the beginning of the match serving really well and trying to get into the zone very fast. It was a very high-quality from my side. Second set, got a bit lucky in the tiebreak, as we saw.

All things considered, amazing run again here in Australia. I'm extremely happy. Sharing this with the team here and family and the people I love, it's amazing.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What was the moment you felt like the dial had swung in your favor in the process of chipping away and breaking down Zverev's game?

JANNIK SINNER: I felt like how I entered the court trying to be quite aggressive in the beginning, this gave me then the confidence that I feel the ball in a certain way.

Yeah, when you get up one set, this gives you the confidence. As I said, I had the chances in the second set with couple of break points. He always served very well there. But it's trying to stay always there mentally, trying to play every point in the best possible way.

As I said, tiebreak, got a bit lucky there. But how I handled every situation on the court, not only today in the final, but in general was very nice.

Q. With the CAS appeal happening before the next Grand Slam, does that shift your focus at all, or is it just business as usual for you up until Roland Garros?

JANNIK SINNER: Tough to say. I mean, I'm not thinking at the moment about like this. I just came off an amazing run again here. I want to enjoy this moment, to be honest.

Then it's the hearing. We know now the dates, and that's it. I mean, I want to enjoy this one now.

Q. Sascha mentioned twice during his press conference that you remind him of Novak when he was at his best. Was Novak really such an inspiration for you as well as Sascha claims or suggests? What do you say to that?

JANNIK SINNER: Well, it's an amazing compliment, no, from Sascha. I think everyone is different in a way. Obviously I have some similarities with Novak's game style. I still believe when Novak plays at his best, it's very, very, very tough to beat him.

But game style-wise I looked up to him, trying to understand what he's doing, how he handles the pressure moments, and important moments.

I still believe we are different as players because everyone is different, but for sure we have similarities. The similarities are having a quite clean ball striking from the baseline, having a good movement, understanding a little bit where your opponent plays the ball.

Yeah, obviously I aim to improve as a player because I feel like I still can improve in certain areas, and that's where we are going to work on. That's it.

Q. Two Grand Slams running now where you won with other stuff going on in the background. How proud are you of yourself that you've been able to put those things away and concentrate on your tennis and get the result?

JANNIK SINNER: Very proud. It's actually tough to describe. Many, many things happen off the court, what you maybe don't know. When I go on the court, even if sometimes it's very difficult to block these kind of things, I have the team and people who are close to me who trust me. That for me is even more important because I can talk with them, very openly with them. That's it.

When I go on court, I try to focus on the match. I know the match can be three, four, five hours, but that's the gap of the day where I have to be very focused. Obviously also in the gym, trying to stay into your routine, then you think a bit less about what's happening. Of course, it's still a little bit in the back of your mind.

I know that I'm in this position now. So nothing I can change.

Q. You spoke on court about Darren and his influence. How has he helped you? What makes him such a special coach? How can you convince him to keep going with you next year?

JANNIK SINNER: It's going to be very difficult (smiling).

Look, he's a very honest, honest person. To be a good coach with many different players, you have to understand the player and you have to get into the rhythm of the player, what he likes, what he don't like. It takes for him just some weeks to get into that, and then he's there.

One thing I really love about him is because he's very, very humble. He suits into the team very, very good. I tried also to make a good result for him here because being Australian, last Grand Slam as a coach.

But I have to say we talk a lot about Darren, but it's also the Simone part, which is amazing what he's doing. He changed me as a player. He gave me so much confidence that I can do different stuff.

I think the combination of two incredibly not only coaches but person, because I feel like you have to be -- coaching is important on court but mostly also off the court. They are very, very good in that. I got very lucky to find Darren, to find Simone, and all the rest of the team. We try to keep working, keep believing, and that's it.

Q. Obviously there's a lot of stats about how amazing you've been on hard courts. Do you feel like you're that much better on hard courts than on the other surfaces? How much do you want to work to be able to win the other two majors, basically?

JANNIK SINNER: Of course, on hard court I feel more comfortable, no? I think that we can see. But I take it as positive because on the other surfaces I still have to improve, I have to see how it works.

I'm going to put a lot of energy in that, trying to find the right ways, and hopefully to go far also in the other Grand Slams who are not played on hard court. Then we see.

I mean, as I always say, I'm still young, and I think I have time to adjust, especially on grass court, because I never played the juniors. It was kind of new when I arrived to the tour. Then we see.

I mean, it's exactly that what I like. The difficulties trying to understand where I can improve. Hopefully I can show that when the season arrives.

Q. Given the uncertainty of the CAS case, did that provide any extra motivation here to win?

JANNIK SINNER: Not really. I mean, what happened, happened, no? As I always say, I keep playing like this because I have a clear mind on what happened. If I know if I would be guilty, I would not play like this, and that's it.

I mean, I still believe every time it came out in a very positive way, and I still believe it's going to be that case. That's it, no?

At the moment I'm not thinking about this. Of course, you have your moments of certain days where you feel like I wish I would not have this problem. In the other way, I'm always looking forward to go on court, trying to understand.

Now I also need my time off, which is also very important for my body and my mind. Then when I go again back on court, I try to improve.

Q. About the other surfaces, you're obviously No. 1 and you have a sizable gap there. How important is it to you to win those other Grand Slams and assert that authority?

JANNIK SINNER: It's for sure one thing I always think about, no? You have to be a complete player, not only one surface, but on also the other two.

I believe last year was not a bad season at all on clay and also on grass. I can do better, yes, but let's see. I mean, these are questions what I can answer by playing in the future.

For sure we are aiming to get into this rhythm, into the game style, because it's a bit different game style, especially on grass because it's a bit different, the movement, and then we see.

Q. What's the difference for you between winning a second time and winning it the first time?

JANNIK SINNER: Of course, you have maybe this little extra pressure and attention on your side, which you have to handle. But in the other way, you know that you can do it because you've done it once. You try to understand whatever it is.

What I understood this time is every day is different. You have days where you might feel a bit not 100%, and then the next match all of a sudden, Okay, I'm into the tournament.

I think I've learned many things throughout one year, not watching about result, but how I am as a person and how I handle the situation on the court.

Yeah, it is different, though. So I'm very happy to have it.