And just as Djokovic had a couple of hurdles by the names of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal to deal with, Sinner is not alone among the newest generation of tennis stars. His top rival at this point is Carlos Alcaraz, who has four Slam victories at age 21 — and won all three matches he played against Sinner in 2024.

Sinner added to Alexander Zverev's grand slam misery, winning 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 on Rod Laver Arena. It meant he joined all-time legends Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer in winning three-straight majors on hard courts, after also triumphing at the Australian and US Opens in 2024.

The Italian - after beating Shelton and reaching the Australian Open 2025 final - talked abou the Serbian champion, at the press conference