Novak Djokovic has extended congratulatory wishes to Jannik Sinner for winning the Australian Open 2024. He also praised runner-up Daniil Medvedev for his effort in the past fortnight.
Sinner secured an epic comeback win over Medvedev on Sunday, January 28, to win his maiden Grand Slam tournament. He overcame a deficit of 2-0 on the sets to secure the championship with a 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 scoreline.
After being outplayed by Medvedev in the first two sets, Sinner grew from strength to strength third set onwards as he smashed 14 aces and 50 winners in total to close the final. His effort received applause from Djokovic, who has won the Australian Open a record 10 times himself.
"Bravo Jannik. Deserved. Congratulations to your team and your family," the Serb wrote on Instagram.
Interestingly, Sinner defeated the Serb in the semifinals en route to the title-winning finish. Furthermore, Djokovic acknowledged Daniil Medvedev's grind, writing:
"Huge effort from Daniil! Tough luck today but amazing tournament."
In terms of head-to-head, this was Jannik Sinner's fourth victory over Daniil Medvedev. However, the Italian still trails 6-4 in the overall count.
As far as Djokovic is concerned, he maintains leads over both Sinner and Medvedev in head-to-head. He has defeated Medvedev 10 times in 15 duels thus far. On the other hand, the Serb's lead over Sinner is slim as the tally stands at 4-3 in his favor.
Novak Djokovic: "Now it's coming together for Jannik Sinner"
During a press conference at the Australian Open 2024, Novak Djokovic dissected the improvements Jannik Sinner has made in his game in the recent past. He said:
"He was always smacking the ball really hard from both forehand and backhand corner. Just he's famous kind of for that, just slaps the ball, you know, plays very quick, loves to be aggressive.
"I think his serve improved a lot. He's hitting his corners very well, and I think he up his speed, as well. Serving bigger now and more precise. Movement overall and mental part. You know, he was always very calm, very composed in the court."
He further claimed that things are falling into place for the 22-year-old from Italy. He also acknowledged Sinner's coach Darren Cahill's contribution, saying:
"I think he struggled maybe to win the big matches, you know, in the big moments. But now it's coming together for him. Of course Darren Cahill, who is very experienced coach and someone that has worked with former No. 1s in the world, obviously having him in his corner is very helpful, you know, from the mental side of things, of course, along with everything else."
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