Maria Sharapova salutes Jannik Sinner after Italian beats Alexander Zverev to win 2nd Australian Open title
Maria Sharapova has lauded Jannik Sinner for successfully defending his Australian Open title by defeating Alexander Zverev in the final on January 26, 2025. The match, which ended with a score of 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-3, saw Sinner secure his second consecutive title and third Grand Slam overall.
The World No. 1 cruised past Nicolas Jarry, Tristan Schoolkate, Marcos Giron, 13th seed Holger Rune, eighth seed Alex de Minaur, and 21st seed Ben Shelton en route to the final, losing only two sets in the process.
Taking to Instagram following his victory, Sinner shared a picture of himself kissing the Australian Open trophy during the award presentation ceremony at Rod Laver Arena. He thanked his team for their support and praised Zverev for his efforts, acknowledging the challenge he posed in the final, writing:
"Taking this trophy home for a second time feels absolutely unreal!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ To my team and all of you who’ve cheered me on from every corner of the world – thank you! Huge respect to @alexzverev123 for an incredible match."
The 2008 Australian Open champion, Maria Sharapova, who has been a vocal supporter of Sinner's career, commented on his post with a clap and an award emoji.
Jannik Sinner discussed Maria Sharapova's influence on his career
Jannik Sinner had praised Maria Sharapova for her impact on his career, noting they practiced together a few times. In a 2024 Australian Open interview, Sinner discussed training with tennis legends like Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Sharapova, saying it helped him grow.
"Well, obviously, you know, practicing with those kind of players and persons and sportsmen, obviously it makes you grow. You know, I have been very, very lucky that I had the chance to practice with Rafa for two weeks and some tournaments practicing with Novak," Sinner said.
Sinner mentioned that he had trained with Sharapova a few times when he was 18, and he believes those sessions played a key role in helping him improve more quickly.
"Then I had the pleasure to know Maria a little bit more. We practice sometimes together and knowing her personality as well. It's great. And especially for a guy who is 19 years old, and when Maria was there [when] I was 18, you know, it makes you grow obviously a little bit faster, I would say," he added.
In a September 2023 appearance on 'The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast,' Maria Sharapova revealed that Jannik Sinner is her favorite player to watch on the ATP Tour.