"Jannik Sinner backed up what he did against Novak Djokovic": Lleyton Hewitt marvels on heroics of a certain Italian in Davis Cup defeat

After leading Italy to Davis Cup victory over the weekend, Jannik Sinner has been showered with praise by several in the tennis community, including Australian Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt.

Sinner spearheaded Italy's win over Australia in a hotly-contested final, producing a dominant performance to defeat Alex De Minaur in the second tie to secure his nation the victory. Early, Sinner's compatriot Matteo Arnaldi prevailed 7-5 2-6 6-4 over Aussie Alexei Popyrin to give Italy a 1-0 lead.

"Yeah, Jannik, he's played awesome all week," admitted the former World No.1 after the match. "Yeah, the last few weeks, to be honest, last few months. So he showed why he's a top 3 or 4 player in the world at the moment. He backed up what he did yesterday against Novak and played extremely good tennis. I think the conditions and surface suit him perfectly, as well, which makes life pretty tough."

This was Italy's second triumph at the tournament, with their first coming 47 years ago in 1976. It was also Australia's second successive defeat in the Davis Cup final, having lost to Canada at last year's event.