Don't let the shy smile, polite disposition and gentle manner fool you.
Jannik Sinner may appear to be a benevolent ruler, but the world No. 1 brings serious fear factor every time he steps on court.
More: Super Sinner Sweeps Zverev for Second AO Crown
The top-seeded Sinner dismantled world No. 2 Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-3 In the Australian Open final successfully defending his AO championship with command.
It is Sinner’s career-best 21st consecutive victory—he has not lost since bowing to Carlos Alcaraz in the Beijing final last fall—and his 21st straight Grand Slam hard-court victory.
At the age of 23, Sinner is the first Italian—male or female— to capture three Grand Slam titles.
Tennis' hard-court king said adapting his game to Roland Garros' red clay and Wimbledon's green grass is a top priority as he chases a Grand Slam.
While he feels most at home on hard court, Sinner believes his game can only improve on clay and grass.
"Of course, on hard court I feel more comfortable," Sinner said. "I think that we can see. But I take it as positive because on the other surfaces I still have to improve, I have to see how it works.
"I'm going to put a lot of energy in that, trying to find the right ways, and hopefully to go far also in the other Grand Slams who are not played on hard court. Then we see."
Seventeen of Sinner's 19 career championships have come on hard court.
The US Open champion reached the Roland Garros semifinals last season losing to eventual-champion Carlos Alcaraz in five sets. Sinner has advanced to the Wimbledon quarterfinals three years in a row, highlighted by his 2023 semifinal run.
Sinner said he's already starting to feel more comfortable on grass, which was once a foreign surface for him.
"I'm still young, and I think I have time to adjust, especially on grass court, because I never played [on grass in] the juniors," Sinner said. "It was kind of new when I arrived to the tour. Then we see.
"I mean, it's exactly that what I like. The difficulties trying to understand where I can improve. Hopefully I can show that when the season arrives."
Over the past 13 months, Sinner has posted an astounding 80-6 record with only four men—Stefanos Tsitsipas, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev and Alcaraz—defeating him in that span.
Can anyone stop Sinner from making a run at the Grand Slam this season?
Well, possibly the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The appeal of the World Anti Doping Agency against the ITIA’s ruling on Sinner’s case will be heard in April, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) announced.
"The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has scheduled the hearing for the arbitration procedure World Anti-Doping Agency v. Jannik Sinner, International Tennis Integrity Agency and International Tennis Federation on 16 and 17 April 2025 at CAS headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland," the CAS announced earlier this month. "No parties requested a public hearing and it will be conducted behind closed doors.”
Some believe Sinner could be hit with a suspension by the CAS.
"Will [Sinner] dominate the year like he did in 2024?," Hall of Famer Andy Roddick told Betway days before the AO began. "There is the cloud of the WADA case over him, so there’s every chance that this is the last time we see him for six months or a year. A lot depends on how his case shakes out, but I do think he is the best hardcourt player in the world."
After successfully defending Melbourne, Sinner said he's confident he will be cleared by the CAS.
"I keep playing like this because I have a clear mind on what happened," Sinner told the media in Melbourne. "If I know if I would be guilty, I would not play like this, and that's it.
"I mean, I still believe every time it came out in a very positive way, and I still believe it's going to be that case. That's it, no?
"At the moment I'm not thinking about this. Of course, you have your moments of certain days where you feel like I wish I would not have this problem. In the other way, I'm always looking forward to go on court, trying to understand."