For Medvedev, in the end, this was not the joyous conclusion he desperately desired after what has been a monumental effort in Melbourne this fortnight, as he could not enjoy following up his maiden Grand Slam triumph at the US Open in 2021.

“I want to congratulate Jannik,” he said in a typically gracious speech. “Today, you showed again why you deserve it. You fought till the end and managed to raise your level. You and your team are doing an amazing job. You win many tournaments and make many finals, and that’s probably not your last Grand Slam. I hope to try and get the next one because it’s been three finals in a row. I’ll try my best to do better next time, but congrats to you. You deserve it.”

Sinner, though, was left to celebrate what will surely be the first of many Grand Slam titles as he emulated his compatriot Flavia Pennetta, who won the women’s singles title at the 2015 US Open and had until Sunday been the most recent Italian to have enjoyed Grand Slam singles glory.

“Daniil, I want to congratulate you and your team for an amazing tournament again,” Sinner said in his victory speech. “I know we played in so many finals together already, but I find something where I can improve every match, and you make me a much better player. Your effort has been awesome throughout the tournament; the hours on the court and today’s effort, running for every ball, is remarkable. I hope you can lift this trophy; I’m sure you can. I wish you all the best for the season.”

In clinching glory, Sinner became the fifth Italian player to win a Grand Slam title and the first at Melbourne Park as he refused to accept his fate when looking out of the contest after two sets and ultimately outlasted his exhausted opponent.

Medvedev had won six of the nine previous matches he had played against Sinner, and he got off to an electrifying start by constantly coming to the net, shortening points, and deservedly taking an early break of serve.

The No. 3 seed’s ultra-attacking intent continued finely as he consolidated his break of serve and kept Sinner extremely quiet. Indeed, it was no surprise when he clinched the opening set with little resistance after 35 minutes.

The Italian and his coaching camp knew that he had to make a stronger start to the second set and adapt to Medvedev’s assertive play, but it was certainly not easy for him as he sought to do so. The fourth seed eventually had to battle through an extended, grueling deuce to hold serve under enormous pressure in his opening game.

The ease with which Medvedev was consistently able to hold serve was in stark contrast to Sinner’s having to endure an epic brawl in seemingly every game on his delivery. Eventually, the pressure took its toll on the No. 4 seed as Medvedev ruthlessly broke serve once more to lead 3-1 in the second set.

While the pre-match narrative may have been that the third seed would be physically and mentally exhausted after his marathon exploits in the previous rounds, Sinner looked sluggish. In contrast, he seemed incredibly sharp around the court as he consolidated once more.

Medvedev had to endure a bit of a nervy wobble on his serve before he closed out the second set in 49 minutes, but all it did was demonstrate his determination and resolve that the day would belong to him.

Sinner was visibly frustrated at the start of the third set, but he kept his composure and established himself on the scoreboard early on to make his opponent work for every game. This passage of play would later prove crucial.