At deuce in the eighth game where he earned the break, Sinner responded to a mighty Zverev forehand with a backhand down the line on the move, sliding and gliding with his left leg fully stretched while staying low. In the following game serving for the set at 15-love, Sinner defended like a rock at the baseline to extract an error, and on the next point he attacked being fluidly ferocious at the net.

Movement so silken and smooth on the court. Like Leon Marchand, the four-time gold medallist swimmer of the Paris Olympics watching on at Rod Laver Arena, in the pool.

A fellow Olympic champion of Tokyo was being dismantled by a soon-to-be two-time champion of Melbourne. And a three-time Grand Slam winner at 23, which Sinner became after the 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-3 victory that also made him the youngest to defend the Australian Open title since Jim Courier (1992-93).

“We worked a lot to be in this position again,” Sinner said in his on-court speech addressing his team.

The first Italian to win three Majors, the title extends Sinner’s easy on the eye stranglehold on the men’s tour (this was the 47th win from his first 50 matches as world No.1) and hard-court Slams (his last defeat came at the 2023 US Open).

“You’re the best player in the world by far,” Zverev, 27, distraught at losing his third Slam final, told Sinner on court. “I was hoping that I could be more of a competitor today, but you’re just too good. As simple as that.”

It is indeed as simple as that. Sure, the rub of the green went the youngster’s way, like with a lucky net chord at 4-4 in the tiebreaker. Other than that, it was a touch of genius all through.

Sinner did not face a break point (the last time that happened in a Slam final was with Rafael Nadal at the 2017 US Open). He won 84% points on his first serve which, at one point deep in the second set, was 100% for that set. In rallies that lasted nine or more shots, he won more than twice the number of points (29 to Zverev’s 14) and also took 10 of his 13 points at the net.

If Zverev served big, he had it covered with deep returns. If Zverev engaged in a baseline brawl, he had it covered with dogged defence. If Zverev dragged him forward, he had it covered with deft movement.

It’s pretty much how Sinner has had most of his opponents covered over the last year, carrying his 73-6 form of 2024 into an unbeaten start to 2025. The only blemish through that has been his doping case, which will be heard at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in April. Sinner may stare at an uncertain immediate future, yet he can look back at a dream 12 months that began in Melbourne as a first-time Slam winner.

While that Australian Open run was one of domination (he did not lose a set until the semi-final against Novak Djokovic), this was of tenacity. “The situation I was in was completely different from a year ago,” he said. “I had more pressure.”

Sinner dropped the opening set in the second round, was shaky from illness in the fourth and nervy from cramp in the semi-final. The odds, on paper, were against him coming into the final too with Zverev having the head-to-head edge over him and being fresher.

But as is often the case with champion players, they step up to the occasion. Sinner started solidly on serve while putting Zverev’s under constant pressure. The German saved multiple break points with solid first serves, yet each time Sinner stood up to it to settle down for a rally, he came out on top. Off one such exchange, after that delightful backhand winner, Sinner broke.

Despite serving at high quality and percentage, Zverev had problems at hand. Not just because he was down a set, but he also had to quickly come up with different questions to pose.

He did try, moving in towards the net more often while saving two break points with it early in the second set. Sinner though remained unrelenting at the baseline and unforgiving on his first strike. Serving to stay in the match, he held from love-30 on the back of two strong first serves.

The tiebreaker was a tale of forehand errors until 4-4 when, thanks to the net, it turned towards the Italian. An unreturned serve later, so did the set.

Zverev sat smashing his racquets. His body language was faltering, so was his belief and serving strength. And after an error-strewn sixth game in which he was broken, so did the match. Sinner sealed it with a drop shot-backhand passing winner combo.

Sinner was just too good, like he has been the past year. As simple as that.