RED HOT Jannik Sinner decimates Zverev for Australian Open title

If there is a human version of a bulldozer doing the destruction job and leaving behind a pile of rubble resembling the Gaza strip, it has to be Jannik Sinner. On Sunday, the Belgian was in such a punitive mood he did not face a single break point, mowing down Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 in two hours and 42 minutes to hold onto the Australian Open trophy. Such a ruthless approach, speed and control has not been seen before down Under before in a long time. Agreed, Novak Djokovic has won 10 times here, but the way Sinner has been going about his job, he leaves the opponent crying in pain.

No, one of not talking of pain in a physical sense of injury. This is pain of being helpless against a player who raised himself to such heights he towers like a giant. What all does one rave about in Jannik Sinner’s game. He is blessed with almost everything and such authority he showcases is beyond comparison. People have talked of two young men who will dominate world tennis, Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. No, Sinner leaves the Spaniard behind by miles in every which way.

There has been intense pressure on Sinner even though his dope case will come up before the CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sports) in April. He has been dragged to CAS by the world anti-doping agency (WADA) which will press for a two-year ban. Forget for a while Sinner flunked two dope tests last year when he tested positive for Clostebol. Yes, he was cleared by the ITIA, an independent agency but players, coaches and many fans are angry. If you do not want to be judgmental and simply appreciate the tennis which Sinner produces, repeatedly, it is out of this planet. What he is doing is something which can only be dreamt of.

Yes, many champions emerged at the Australian Open before Sinner but in the modern age where tennis is more about speed, fitness and killing the opponent, Sinner shows no mercy. For Zverev, who was kind of to Novak Djokovic when the crowd booed him a few days ago at the Rod Laver arena, this loss was decapitating. It left him watching like a bystander as Sinner threw himself into top gear by hitting the overdrive button. It is not easy to produce such a tapestry of tennis through every round, where perfection becomes a norm rather than an exception.

If you look at match stats, Sinner was on song. He was winning points on his first serve at 84 per cent, and unleashing winners on either flank with gusto. That he came up with an aggregate of 32 winners was clear he loves this high energy and high intensity stuff. And when you add up the lesser number of unforced errors from his racquet – 27 compared to 45 from Zverev – the picture is complete. At the net, too, for variety, Sinner was smoking it. It is not easy to produce these shots on the Australian Open hard courts but Sinner shows he can play every stroke.

What does on say of a man who began his voyage last year at the AO, then ran into trouble. To seal the US Open last year despite the hostility, to triumph in the year-end ATP championship and also peak in the Davis Cup finals for Italy, Sinner has become a legend. He has that monk-like meditative approach. It has helped him till now. Whether the CAS will be kind to him or not in April, nobody knows. Sinner fans will have to keep fingers crossed. For the time being, he can enjoy this high, take a walk along the Yarra river on Monday as well in Melbourne.