2024 Australian Open men's final: Jannik Sinner defeats Daniil Medvedev in the Melbourne final

Many players with experience of a Grand Slam final have spoken of how different the occasion can be, especially if it is their first time, and potentially overwhelming.

Medvedev, whose only major victory came at the 2021 US Open, expressed hope that his greater experience in these situations would come in handy against Sinner.

Although Sinner did not appear nervous, Medvedev simply suffocated him with an attacking style in the first two sets, a style that proved his intelligence.

Ultimately, the turnaround in his fortunes came down to stamina – and perhaps some mental scarring from defeat to Nadal on the same stage.

Medvedev spent nearly six hours on the court during two weeks in Melbourne compared to his younger rival.

He had to outlast his opponents three times in five-set matches, and twice fought back from two sets down, including a brilliant semi-final against sixth seed Alexander Zverev of Germany.

Before the final, Medvedev spoke of Sinner having the physical advantage and knew he would have to get off to a fast start to maximize his chances.

However, he was unable to maintain the ferocity and depth of his groundstrokes, and looked increasingly exhausted as Sinner fought back.

“I felt a little tired physically,” Medvedev said. “But I was trying to be proud of myself, and I am.”

“I was fighting and running. I thought if I don't feel my legs tomorrow it doesn't matter, I will try everything I can to the last point” and I did.

Five more sets on Sunday meant Medvedev surpassed the previous record for time spent on court at a single Grand Slam tournament, the 23 hours and 39 minutes spent by Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz en route to the 2022 US Open title.

After losing to Nadal, Medvedev began his post-match press conference with a sad speech in which he said that he “stopped dreaming.”

This time, he struck a more upbeat tone and even managed to joke about his time on the field.

“At least I got a record for something. I'm in the history books,” he said.