Jannik Sinner's reserved public persona belies a mature and steely 23-year-old who has shown supreme mental strength to put aside a doping scandal and win another Australian Open.

Sinner's status as Italy's biggest sports star and the new dominant force in men's tennis has only gathered pace over the past fortnight in Melbourne. The world number one blew away second seed Alexander Zverev in Sunday's final, 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 to become back-to-back champion in Melbourne. Only three other men have managed the feat at Melbourne Park since the turn of the century -- Andre Agassi, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.