"I do not respect his statements": Throwback to Jannik Sinner lambasting Alexander Zverev

Italy’s Jannik Sinner and Germany’s Alexander Zverev are set for a mouthwatering clash in the final of the Australian Open 2025. The first Grand Slam of the year will conclude on Sunday with the final in the men’s singles category between the world number one and number two.

This will be the seventh meeting between the two players. In the previous six meetings, Zverev has a clear edge with four wins compared to Sinners’ two victories. However, in their last meeting, which was in the semifinal of the Cincinnati Open 2024, it was the reigning world number one who came out with a score of 7-6, 5-7, 7-6.

The two players had a bit of an up-and-down relationship in the past. One of those feisty instances came in 2020 when the two faced off in the French Open fourth round. In that contest, Zverev came out on top with a score of 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. After the match, Sinner congratulated his opponent but called him for what he believed was his tactic to prepare for a possible defeat.

“I respect him a lot because he’s won more than me, he’s got more experience on the circuit, and he’s a great player," said Sinner after that match in 2020. "However, I do not respect his statements after his defeat to me at Roland Garros. He contradicted himself a lot. He said he had a fever, but in the third and fourth sets, he ran more than me. It seems to me that he was looking for an excuse after his defeat. Federer or Nadal, for example, would never have said such things."

Sinner, who is defending his title in Melbourne, cemented his place in the final of the Australian Open after beating America’s Ben Shelton in the last-four clash in straight sets with a score of 7-6, 6-2, 6-2. On the other hand, Zverev cemented his spot in the last-two after his opponent, former world number one Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, was forced to retire from the contest because of an injury.