After a thrilling fortnight of tennis at the Australian Open, just two men are still in contention at Melbourne Park. Jannik Sinner will be seeking to complete the defence of the title he won a year ago, whilst Alexander Zverev will be hoping it will be third time lucky in a Major final. As ever, we here at LWOT will be offering our prediction for the final, but who will come out on top?

Australian Open Final Prediction

Jannik Sinner vs Alexander Zverev

Jim: Zverev has played some very good tennis. We’ll never know whether he would have been a fully fit Novak Djokovic, but my suspicion is that he wouldn’t have. That might seem like an academic question, and in some senses it is, but Sinner is arguably currently even better in these conditions than the great Serbian. Their strengths – rock solid groundstrokes, an excellent return, and suffocating court coverage – are also similar. Zverev has enough power and is playing with enough confidence to make a match of this. But expect Sinner to prove too strong in the end.

Prediction: Sinner in 4

Jordan: This could come down to whether Sinner’s body holds up. Despite the resounding final score against Ben Shelton, the Italian looked to be cramping at one stage. That followed him being unwell in the fourth-round against Holger Rune.

That leaves Zverev with a dilemma. His usual approach in significant matches of playing passively would be a bad ploy against a fully fit Sinner, but he might try and wear the world #1 down physically. I think Sinner will win a purely technical match with Zverev if he copes physically, and am backing him to win for that reason. But his fitness is a real concern.

Prediction: Sinner in 4

Ateet: Zverev will get another opportunity to win his first Grand Slam title as he won his semifinal match against Djokovic, who had to retire due to injury. This is the freshest Zverev has ever been going into a Slam final and he should be ready for a long battle. Sinner is still the favourite on paper and his incredible run on hard courts should give him a lot of confidence.

Sinner does a losing record against Zverev but their matches have generally been close and the Italian won the most recent of them. Zverev’s best chance would be to make this match physical and serve brilliantly. However, I’m not sure if that’s enough to win him the match. If Sinner can hold physically, he should win this match.

Prediction: Sinner in 5

Yesh: Zverev had an easier semifinal, but he didn’t look particularly amazing, considering his opponent was injured. Jannik Sinner, meanwhile, is just inexorable. Even when he falls behind, he plays the same tremendous all-court tennis consistently. He doesn’t crack and he’s impossible to push through. He’ll win this one, too.

Prediction: Sinner in 3

Andreas: Both the world #1 and world #2 will come into this final refreshed after relatively short semifinal matches. Sinner will surely look to control the court with his strong groundstrokes, while Zverev will rely on his powerful serve. The German looked passive in his quarterfinal and semifinal wins, but he’s done fairly well to limit unforced errors.

There may be some more pressure on Zverev as he tries to win an elusive Grand Slam title for the first time, but the Italian will be facing nerves as he tries to defend his title from last year. Ultimately, Sinner has looked a bit more convincing over the past two rounds, and he should win this match if he holds up physically.

Prediction: Sinner in 4

Main photo credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images