World number one Jannik Sinner may have ended Ben Shelton’s dream run at the Australian Open on Friday but the American certainly caught the attention of several fans. Even McLaren F1 driver Oscar Piastri was in attendance amongst the fans at Rod Laver Arena and was mesmerized to see Shelton’s rapid serve.
Shelton, who has an average first-serve speed of 126 mph, is well known for his blistering serves, and that is one of the reasons why Piastri perhaps decided to attend this match along with his girlfriend Lily Zneimer. Looking at the video Piastri shared on Instagram, it seems he got a brilliant view of the match, which Sinner won in straight sets: 7-6 (7-2), 6-2, 6-2.
Oscar Piastri attends the 2025 AO semi-final and shares his view of Ben Shelton’s serve pic.twitter.com/fODfrDrTwo
— Business F1 (@BusinessF158116) January 24, 2025
The Italian will now face Alexander Zverev in the final, hoping to win his third Grand Slam and second at the Australian Open, having also won last year when he beat Daniil Medvedev in a gripping five-setter.
Sinner is currently playing some of his best tennis, having won four of the last five tournaments he competed in, a run that also included winning the US Open and the year-ending ATP World Tour Finals. Heading into Sunday’s final, he will be the favorite to beat Zverev, as the German is yet to win a Grand Slam, having lost three finals previously.
Sinner had such an amazing season in 2024 that he also received immense spotlight in the F1 world whenever he made an appearance in the paddock.
Sinner hopes to reach Verstappen’s level of consistency
Getting the tag of ‘Friend of F1’ last year, Sinner made an appearance at the season finale in Abu Dhabi last season, waving the chequered flag as the drivers finished their final laps of the campaign. During the weekend, he also caught up with Max Verstappen and shared what the two discussed.
When asked if he could be considered the ‘Verstappen of tennis’ after the kind of year he had in 2024, Sinner humbly replied that he was nowhere close to the Dutchman’s level. However, the Italian did reveal that he hopes to get there.
“I’m only 23, not 27 (like Verstappen), and I’ve only done this season at the top,” he said. “The goal is not to win for just three years, but to still be in the game when I’m 30.”
With Sinner reaching the final of the first slam of the year, he could not have hoped for a better start to 2025. The 23-year-old will certainly hope to clinch a second Australian Open title and then go on a quest to target the Roland-Garros and Wimbledon double — the two Grand Slams he is yet to win — to complete his Career Slam.
