Alexander Zverev and Aryna Sabalenka both finished the Australian Open as runners-up after losing their respective singles finals.
Zverev lost to Sinner in straight sets, and after the match claimed that the Italian is ‘by far’ the best player in the world at the moment.
While in the women’s singles final, Sabalenka lost to Madison Keys and saw her 20-match winning streak at the Australian Open come to an end.
Keys is a popular Australian Open champion, having received messages from many fellow tennis players since winning her first Grand Slam title.
Another thing that was noticed from the two Australian Open singles finals was how Zverev and Sabalenka reacted to their defeats.
Kim Clijsters explains how Alexander Zverev and Aryna Sabalenka reacted differently
Sabalenka was criticized for her reaction after losing the Australian Open final against Keys, as she broke her racket.
The world number one also hid under her towel in the immediate aftermath of the final before regrouping for the post-match speeches, where Sabalenka and Keys paid tribute to one another.
However, men’s runner-up Zverev was reassured by Sinner after appearing dejected in the on-court ceremony.
This is something that four-time Grand Slam champion Kim Clijsters picked up on when comparing Zverev and Sabalenka’s reactions on the Served with Andy Roddick podcast.
“I’m curious. A guy like Zverev right now because you saw him,” said Clijsters. “There was that moment when Sinner came over and tried to talk to him for a bit and you could see how disappointed he was.
“It’s different. You see Sabalenka and she is laughing and joking with her team. And then you see Zverev and he’s heartbroken.”
Zverev has now lost three major finals, something that Clijsters knows the feeling of after losing her first four before winning her first Grand Slam title at the 2005 US Open.
Andy Roddick explains what Alexander Zverev said that makes him feel worse
Roddick was disappointed for Zverev after the Australian Open final, highlighting something in particular.
Zverev claimed he served better than Sinner in his post-match press conference, but was worse than the world number one in every other area of his game.
This comment appears to have stuck out to Roddick, who admitted that it made him feel worse after the final.
“He was kind of honest and that almost makes me feel worse,” said Roddick. “He goes I served better but when we were out of there he did everything better and he does everything better. That was essentially what he said.”
Zverev will now try and switch his attention from hard to clay courts, as he heads to South America for tournaments in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro.
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