Jannik Sinner will bid to be the master of his “safe place” again as he chases a second consecutive Australian Open title.

The world number one has dropped only two sets on his way to the final at Melbourne Park, where he will take on Alexander Zverev.

But there have been signs of the tension and pressure that Sinner is feeling, with the Italian battling illness in a gruelling fourth-round win over Holger Rune and then cramping in the semi-finals against Ben Shelton on Friday despite winning in straight sets.

Sinner faces a hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in April after the World Anti-Doping Agency appealed against the decision not to ban him following two failed doping tests last March.

The 23-year-old admitted he was a little apprehensive about his reception in Australia following persistent online criticism led by Nick Kyrgios, although he has received strong crowd support.

Coach Darren Cahill praised Sinner’s handling of the situation but admitted it has been tough, saying: “Nobody’s bulletproof. I think we all have moments when it gets to you a little bit, as well.

“I think, to a large extent, he finds playing tennis matches to be his safe place. That’s where he can go and do his thing and feel like this is what he knows, this is what he understands, what he’s good at. It’s become a home for him to step on to the court and play tennis.

“There’s been a lot of pressure around him for the last nine months now. He deals with it as well as anybody that I’ve ever seen deal with pressure. He’s an amazing young man that’s been able to put that to one side.

“He has a clear conscience with what’s going on. That’s the main reason he’s been able to go on to the court and walk tall and have that belief and play with the confidence that he has.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen, but he can always hold his head up high and be proud of what he’s been able to achieve. I know that the people back home in Italy can be damn proud of him, as well.”

Sinner can become the first Italian to win three grand slam singles titles, while he has extra motivation in Melbourne after revealing midway through the tournament this will be his final year with Australian coach Cahill, who is retiring.

He has already achieved something none of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic managed by making it back to the final the year after winning his first Australian Open, and another title would cement his current stranglehold on men’s tennis.

Sinner said of the demands this fortnight: “It’s never easy. I try to put a lot of work in in the days off, trying to understand my body. I have a great team behind me also with a lot of experience.

“There’s a lot of things going on, on and off the court. I try to isolate myself a little bit, trying to be myself on the court. There are days where it’s easier, days where I struggle a little bit more. I’m just happy to put myself in this position again, to play for a big trophy again.”

This is also Zverev’s third slam final but, unlike Sinner, he is yet to win one after five-set losses to Dominic Thiem at the US Open in 2020 and Carlos Alcaraz at the French Open last year.

The German can point to a 4-2 lead in his head-to-head against Sinner, while his path to the final was eased considerably by Djokovic’s decision to retire after one set of their semi-final.

Zverev hopes his decision ahead of the season to rehire British fitness trainer Jez Green can help make the difference, with the German citing fatigue as one reason for his loss to Alcaraz in Paris.

Zverev previously worked with Green, who was once a key member of Andy Murray’s team, for seven years.

“I was always very proud and I always knew that I could last with anyone for as long as I wanted when I was with Jez Green,” said Zverev. “I got tired against Carlos. I didn’t want that to happen this year anymore.”