WHO: Jannik Sinner vs Alexander Zverev
What: Australian Open men's singles finals
Where: Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, Australia
When: Sunday, January 26 at 7:30pm (08:30 GMT)
Follow Al Jazeera's coverage of the match ahead of the match.
Defending champion Jannik Sinner will look to seal the back-to-back Australian Open The titles are to deny second-year Alexander Zverev a maiden Grand Slam crown in the men's final on Sunday.
Also on Sunday, the women's doubles final sees Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend take on Hsieh Su-Wei of Taiwan and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia.
After an exciting women's final on Saturday, where Madison Keys ended Aryna Sabalenka's two-year reign as Australian Open championAl Jazeera looks at what promises to be another blockbuster finale between the top two seeds.
Who is the favorite to win the Australian Open men's final?
The following year defeating Daniil Medvedev in five sets in the 2024 finalJannik Sinner will be the favorite to win Sunday's election and become the first person to retain the title since Novak Djokovic's “three sets” from 2019-2021.
The top seed could become the 11th man to return in the professional era, joining the likes of Roger Federer (2006-07, 2017-18) and Andre Agassi (2000-01).
After winning the US Open last year, Sinner could also become the first Italian to win three Grand Slam titles, surpassing his tie with Nicola Pietrangeli, the back-to-back men's singles champion at Roland Garros (1959-60).
How did the Sinner get to the end?
The sinner reaches the final in top form, having won the last 20 matches.
He beat Australian number one Alex De Minaur in the quarterfinals as well beat American talent Ben Shelton straight in semi.
However, fitness did not go well for the 23-year-old, who suffered a concussion against Shelton and suffered dizziness on a hot day during his four-set win over Holger Rune in the fourth round.
With a forecast of 27 degrees Celsius (81 F) on Sunday, Sinner can be relieved that the game is set for a cold evening.
What happened to Sinner's doping case?
His latest run comes as a failed drug test in March hangs over his head.
Despite being cleared to play by tennis officials, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) wants the Italian banned for two years by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The trial is scheduled for April.
What did the Sinner say before the last scene?
Sinner has so far proven to be invulnerable to outside distractions, though, with the added weight of being a defending champion.
He said: “I try to get things out of my head. “Although it is easy to say, it is difficult to do.
“I will try to do this and enjoy these moments. We won six very difficult games.”
20 – Jannik Sinner is the second-youngest player in the Open Era to win 20 consecutive Men's Singles Grand Slam singles matches – more than John McEnroe in 1981. History.#AO2025 | | @AustralianOpen @atptour pic.twitter.com/3esTgugPRu
– OptaAce (@OptaAce) January 24, 2025
What are Zverev's chances in the final?
As a teenager, Zverev once released the excitement Sinner had before winning his maiden Grand Slam title at Melbourne Park in 2024.
However, the predictions of major trophies have not been fulfilled for the 27-year-old German despite several misses.
He was replaced by Carlos Alcaraz in last year's French Open final where he led 2 sets to 1 and also gave up two sets to fall to Dominic Thiem in the 2020 US Open qualifier.
Despite his impressive career, one of the sport's strongest defenses and a commanding court system for a 6-foot-6 in (1.98-meter) man, Zverev is at risk of wilting under the pressure and struggling to change his fragile state of mind.
Is this a new beginning for Zverev?
After being shut out of the Grand Slams by Djokovic, Federer and Rafa Nadal, a young generation led by Sinner and Alcaraz has recently emerged to thwart Zverev's ambitions.
Criticized in his French Open final loss to Alcaraz last year in which he tired late in the match, Zverev has re-hired coach Jez Green to build a consistent strength in five matches.
He comes in the last Sunday anew Djokovic retired with an injury after one set of their semifinal, which Zverev won.
What did Zverev say before the final?
With Sinner almost unmatched for the potency and accuracy of his shots, Zverev's best chance of success may be to drag the Italian into a long dogfight and put his work to work in the tiebreaks.
“Also, my goal is to compete with the big boys and compete in these types of matches and try to beat them,” Zverev said.
“I'm looking forward to Sunday. I feel like I've done the job, and I feel like I'm ready.”
Head to head
Zverev has a 4-2 record against Sinner that includes strong wins at the 2021 and 2023 US Open tournaments.
But Sinner won their last match on hardcourt in Cincinnati last year when he was untouchable.
All adding up to the last AO review 🦊 @janniksin #InfosysStat • #AusOpenWithInfosys pic.twitter.com/2HXRkHQE0i
– #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 24, 2025
What is his reward?
The total amount awarded is $59.8m, an increase of 12 percent from 2024.
The Australian Open will award $2.16m in prize money to singles players and the men's and women's gymnastics teams will receive $502,000.
The breakdown of the group of singles (male and female) is:
Winners: $2.16m
Finalists: $1.17m
Semifinals: $0.68m
Quarterfinals: $412,242
Article 16: $260,363
Third line: $179,759
Second round: $123,974
First line: $81,822
Where to watch, track and manage the Australian Open tennis Grand Slam?
Al Jazeera will provide live coverage and photos of the men's and women's finals.
The official broadcasters for the Australian Open are:
Africa: beIN Sports and SuperSport.
Europe: Eurosport, SRG SSR.
Asia Pacific and Oceania: ESPN, Tennis Channel, beIN Sports, CCTV, iQIYI, GDTV, WOWOW, Nine, Stan Sport, Digicel, CJ ENM, TDM, ESPN International, SKY, Sportcast and K-Plus.
India & subcontinent: Sony Sports Network.
Latin America & Caribbean: Opinion of the company ESPN International.
Killing: beIN Sports.
North America: ESPN, TSN, RDS and Tennis Channel.
Central Asia: Sony Sports Network and Eurosport.