Honestly, walking into Melbourne Park in January 2024 felt a little weird. For the first time in basically forever, the air didn't just smell like expensive sunscreen and tennis ball fuzz; it smelled like change. We’d spent two decades watching the "Big Three" treat the Rod Laver Arena like their personal living room. But then the tournament actually happened, and by the time the dust settled, we had a brand new king of the hard courts.
If you’re looking for the quick answer to who won the Australian Open 2024, it was Jannik Sinner on the men’s side and Aryna Sabalenka for the women.
But just saying their names doesn’t really do justice to what happened. This wasn't just another tournament. It was a 15-day marathon that broke attendance records (over 1.1 million people showed up!) and effectively signaled a massive power shift in world tennis.
Jannik Sinner: The Kid Who Refused to Blink
Let’s talk about the men’s final. It was... intense. If you turned your TV off after the second set, you probably assumed Daniil Medvedev had it in the bag. He was up 6-3, 6-3. He looked untouchable. Sinner, meanwhile, looked like a 22-year-old who had finally hit a wall after a long two weeks.
But Sinner is different. He’s got this calm about him—likely from his days as a champion junior skier—where he just doesn't panic. He started hitting the ball bigger. He forced Medvedev into longer rallies. Slowly, the tide turned.
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The Comeback by the Numbers:
- Final Score: 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3.
- Match Duration: 3 hours and 44 minutes of pure chaos.
- The Context: Sinner became the first Italian man to win a Grand Slam since Adriano Panatta back in 1976.
What’s even wilder is how he got there. To even make the final, Sinner had to go through the final boss: Novak Djokovic. Novak hadn't lost a match at the Australian Open since 2018. He was on a 33-match winning streak. Sinner didn't just beat him in the semifinals; he outplayed him so thoroughly that Djokovic later called it one of his worst-played Slam matches. That victory was the "he's arrived" moment for the ginger-haired kid from San Candido.
Aryna Sabalenka: Pure, Unfiltered Dominance
While the men’s side was a dramatic soap opera, the women’s side was a masterclass in power. Aryna Sabalenka didn't just win; she steamrolled the entire draw.
She faced Zheng Qinwen in the final and won 6-3, 6-2. It was over in 76 minutes. Most people spend more time at the grocery store than Sabalenka spent winning a Grand Slam final.
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Why her 2024 run was legendary:
- She didn't drop a single set the entire tournament. Not one.
- She became the first woman to defend her Australian Open title since Victoria Azarenka did it in 2013.
- She only lost 31 games in total across seven matches.
Zheng Qinwen played great tennis to get to that final—she’s a massive star in the making—but Sabalenka’s serve and forehand were just too heavy. It’s hard to plan a strategy when the ball is coming at you like a meteor every single point.
What Most People Missed in the 2024 Results
While Sinner and Sabalenka took the big trophies, a few other things happened that were kinda historic.
Rohan Bopanna, at 43 years old, won the Men’s Doubles title with Matthew Ebden. Think about that. Forty-three. Most people are worried about their lower back when they get out of bed, and this guy is winning Grand Slams. He became the oldest man to ever win a major doubles title and reached World No. 1 shortly after.
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Then you had Hsieh Su-wei, who is basically a magician on a tennis court. She won both the Women's Doubles (with Elise Mertens) and the Mixed Doubles (with Jan Zieliński). She’s got a style that’s so unconventional it makes pros look like they've forgotten how to play tennis.
Why These Wins Still Matter Today
The 2024 Australian Open changed the narrative. For years, we wondered who would finally step up when the legends retired. We got our answer.
Sinner’s win wasn't a fluke. As we’ve seen in the time since, he and Carlos Alcaraz have essentially taken over the sport. If you're a bettor or just a casual fan, the "Sinner vs. Alcaraz" rivalry is now the gold standard.
Actionable Takeaways for Tennis Fans:
- Watch the serve: If you're a club player, look at how Sinner improved his serve in late 2023 leading into this win. It changed his entire career.
- Focus on the "Happy Slam": If you ever plan to travel for tennis, Melbourne Park is consistently voted the fan favorite for a reason. The 2024 record-breaking attendance proves it's the place to be.
- Keep an eye on the underdogs: Guys like Medvedev have now lost multiple Slam finals from two sets up. It shows that in modern tennis, fitness and mental "clutch" factor are more important than ever.
The 2024 tournament was the end of the old guard and the start of something very fast, very powerful, and very Italian. If you missed it, you missed the moment the sport officially moved into its next chapter.
Next Steps for You:
Check the current ATP and WTA rankings to see how Sinner and Sabalenka have maintained their leads. You should also look for highlights of the Sinner-Medvedev fourth set—it’s where the momentum shift actually happened.