Alexander Zverev compares Jannik Sinner to Novak Djokovic after latest Grand Slam triumph in Australian Open final

Is Jannik Sinner on course to enjoy a successful career similar to Novak Djokovic? Alexander Zverev believes that could be the case after he suffered defeat at the hands of the Italian in the Australian Open final in Melbourne on Sunday. Sinner claimed his third Grand Slam title, and after the match, Zverev explained that his game is very similar to the Serbian great.

Dominant Sinner seals second Melbourne crown - Australian Open highlights

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Alexander Zverev has said that Jannik Sinner is "very similar" to tennis legend Novak Djokovic following his Australian Open triumph on Sunday.

Sinner won the Australian Open for the second consecutive year in Melbourne with a straight-sets victory against Zverev, 6-3 7-6(4) 6-3, to claim the third Grand Slam of his career.

A pivotal moment in the final came in the second set where Sinner managed to win the tie-break before coasting in the third to secure victory.

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Speaking in his press conference after the final, Zverev compared Sinner to Djokovic and explained how difficult it can be when both players are playing with confidence.

"He's very, very similar to Novak when he was at his best," he explained. "They barely miss, like barely miss. They make you think like you have to over-hit all the time to have a chance in a rally against them.

"It's very, very difficult to win a point from the back of the court against them, against Novak and him. Move obviously tremendous. They're constantly on the baseline. They don't give you any space. They don't give you any time.

Zverev hails Sinner as 'best player in the world by far' after Australian Open final

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"Yeah, I mean, just right now, too good for me. Again, I'll do everything I can to be able to compete with them and to lift the trophy, but today was nowhere near good enough."

Zverev knows how difficult it can be to overcome the Serbian legend as he has only won five out of their 13 meetings.

The most recent of those victories came in the Australian Open semi-final when Djokovic was forced to retire with injury after losing the opening set.

When asked to respond to Zverev's comments, Sinner detailed how he continues to look up to Djokovic on and off the court.

"Well, it's an amazing compliment from Sascha [Zverev]," the Australian Open champion explained. "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 quite clean ball striking from the baseline, having 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."

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'Tough moment for me'

Zverev was visibly emotional on the court following Sunday's defeat as he became the seventh man in the Open era to lose his first three Grand Slam finals.

The German suffered defeat in the 2020 US Open final against Dominic Thiem before losing to Carlos Alcaraz in last year's French Open showdown.

The 27-year-old explained in his press conference how Sinner tried to make him feel better on the court while also acknowledging his desire to finally get over the line.

"I'm doing everything I can," he said. "I'm working as hard as I ever did. I think I'm doing all the right things off-court. I think I'm practicing the right things, but I lost in straight sets today. I mean, those are facts. That is a fact.

"I lost to Jannik in straight sets today. I mean, I don't want to end my career as the best player of all time to never win a Grand Slam, that's for sure. I'll keep doing everything I can to lift one of those trophies."

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When asked about what Sinner said to him on the court, Zverev replied: "I was quite down. I was quite emotional also in that stage. I think he saw that. He said that I will definitely lift one of those trophies in my career. I'm too good not to. That's his words.

"It was a little bit of a tough moment for me because I really went in the final and also the preparation today. I really thought I had a very good chance because I was feeling good. I was feeling the ball quite well. I was feeling like I can compete, yeah.

"So it was just a difficult moment for me. I mean, now for the third time, seeing somebody lift the trophy, me standing next to that is difficult because there's nothing more I want than to be able to hold one of those trophies in my hands."

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