- Jannik Sinner won the Australian Open by beating Daniil Medvedev
- He is the youngest man to win in Melbourne since Novak Djokovic in 2008
- He is the first Italian in 48 years to win a men’s Grand Slam tournament
New Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner shared a touching moment with a young fan a day after beating Daniil Medvedev at Rod Laver Arena.
Images shared on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, show the Italian holding the Australian Open trophy during a photoshoot at the Melbourne Botanical Gardens.
The 22-year-old was joined by Nicholas Pashulya, a member of the Hot Shot Tennis Academy in the Victoria capital.
“I wish you all the best,” Sinner can be heard saying before hugging Pashulya, who replies, “You are my biggest inspiration.”
The sweet exchange came just 24 hours after Sinner became the youngest man to win the Australian Open singles tournament since Novak Djokovic in 2008.
Janik Sinner shared a touching moment with a young fan, a day after winning the Australian Open on Sunday
The Italian hugged the young fan, who described him as his biggest inspiration
Sinner came back from two sets down to beat Medvedev 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 in three hours and 44 minutes in his first major final.
The world number 4 is the first Italian to win the Australian Open and the first Italian to win a Grand Slam men’s singles tournament since Adriano Panatta won Roland Garros in 1976.
‘There are so many emotions. I have to sit down and process it, but it’s an incredible feeling,” Sinner said after beating Medvedev.
The last player aged 23 or younger to win a Grand Slam final by two sets was Bjorn Borg, against Manuel Orantes at the 1974 French Open.
However, Sinner suggested he enjoyed the back-to-the-wall scenario.
“I like to dance in the pressure storm,” he said.
Once one of Italy’s most promising young skiers, Sinner swapped the slopes for the tennis courts as a teenager and was left cooking and cleaning for himself at the age of 14 when he left home to pursue his dream.
Sinner came back from two sets down to beat Daniil Medvedev 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3
He has never looked back and paid tribute to his parents at the trophy presentation on Sunday.
“I wish everyone could have my parents because they always let me choose what I wanted,” he said.
“Even when I was younger, I also played other sports and they never put pressure on myself, and I would like this freedom to be possible for as many young children as possible.
“Thank you so much for my parents.”