Jannik Sinner - With roots in alpine skiing, Italy's rising star is scaling the tennis mountain: 'I know what I'm capable of'
Sinner was a standout junior skier and idolised Olympic champion Bode Miller as a kid. At 22, he's ranked No.4 in the world - and believes he can contend for the biggest titles.
Tennis
At 22, Italy’s Jannik Sinner has become one of the best tennis players in the world.
But growing up, he didn’t idolise Andre Agassi or Roger Federer – it was alpine skier Bode Miller who spurred his imagination as a young skier in the Dolomites mountains.
“I was fascinated by this crazy guy (Miller); he was extroverted and I was shy,” explains Sinner to the Italian newspaper, Corriere della Sera, ahead of the ATP Finals in Turin where he reached the final but failed to repeat his group phase win over world number one Novak Djokovic.
“Bode was different: he won or crashed,” Sinner adds. “And I looked like him in the snow: I got on the podium or I didn't reach the finish line.”
Sinner made the choice at age 12 that tennis was going to be his path, despite being the national runner-up as a junior in the giant slalom. He took lessons from his origins on the slopes – and from Miller – that he still uses in his tennis game today.
“When you’re young, you think differently,” he says about his affinity for the high-flying Miller, a six-time Olympic medallist and Vancouver 2010 champion in the super combined.
“Skiing gave me many good things, starting with the ability to manage an advantage,” he adds.
Jannik Sinner: A shining 2023 - with Darren Cahill at his side
Sinner made his debut at the ATP Finals in 2021 when countryman Matteo Berrettini withdrew in the group stage.
He beat Hubert Hurkacz to become the youngest player to win an ATP Finals match on debut since Lleyton Hewitt in Lisbon in 2000.
This year he has qualified on merit, going 57-14 this season with a continuously improving game which is subtly lethal from the baseline. He won four titles (including his biggest so far, in Toronto) and was runner-up twice.
“It's a big event here in Italy [and] as an Italian player, I'm coming in with a very positive mindset. I've had a great year,” Sinner told reporters on Friday (10 November) in Turin. “I will try to take a lot of positive energy from the crowd.”
Sinner is co-coached by Simone Vagnozzi and Australian coach Darren Cahill who helped Agassi, Hewitt, Andy Murray and others to the top of the game.
And he is still settling into the top tier of men’s tennis with his lanky legs and seemingly made-for-skiing body being retro-fitted season by season. "Sinner has bulked up," was a common phrase of tennis commentators in 2023.
“I have to enjoy this moment; I know what I'm capable of,” Sinner said. “Being young and lacking a little bit of experience... but I'm here to build this part [of my career].
"My team pushes me every day to be better. That's why I am here. It's about trying to find the right solution; it's about trying to find a good solution for this week.”
Sinner: Djokovic match-up tells 'me where I am'
Sinner has been drawn into the “Green Group” for the round-robin part of the event along with six-time champion and world No.1 Novak Djokovic, 2019 winner Stefanos Tsitsipas and fellow debutant Holger Rune.
He’s 0-3 against Djokovic so far in his young career, including a pair of losses at Wimbledon over the last two years. Those don’t deter him one bit.
He told Corriere della Serra that the match-up with Djokovic is so motivating to him because "you find yourself in front of someone who has won 24 Slams, three out of four this year alone. In terms of results, the best this sport has ever had".
He added, “These are the important matches for growth, the ones for which I say: I win or I learn. Djokovic will tell me where I am. I felt closer this year in the semi-finals at Wimbledon, despite losing in three sets, than last year in the quarter-finals, when we fought for five.
“I can't wait. These are the matches I train for every day, the ones that put a lot of pressure on me.”
Tennis legend Billie Jean King famously coined the phrase, “Pressure is a privilege,” and it’s one that Sinner whole-heartedly agrees with, especially as he embeds himself in the sport’s Top 10 and joins fellow young gun Carlos Alcaraz and Djokovic as Slam contenders.
“My goal isn't to make money,” he said bluntly. “It's to become the best version of me possible. Number one in the world? Well, we'll see. Maybe number four is my limit. I want to find out.
“If I see flaws in my tennis, I will always make the choice to improve myself,” he said. “If you are not at the top, if your performance drops by three percent, the others will tear you apart. I don't like making the same mistake twice.”
Jannik Sinner and his biggest fans, the Carota Boys
With his lanky limbs, unassuming look and moppy bright red hair, Sinner does not strike many as a tennis player. He has taken that “outsider” vibe and run with it on social media while also becoming a fashion-forward athlete on and off the court, thanks to partnerships with famed Italian brands.
And there then are the Carota Boys, a group of Italian fans that began popping up at his matches wearing over-sized carrot costumes, a nod to a viral moment when Sinner ate a large carrot during a match for energy.
They’ve become Jannik’s most vocal – and recognisable – fan base.
“They are more famous than I am,” he laughed when addressing the Carota Boys with whom he spent time in Turin ahead of the Finals.
“I got to know them a couple of days ago. It was a great meeting. It's great to have this dedicated fan club, to be honest, and it's growing. I'm happy for them. I hope they give me some good luck – not only for this week but for the future.”
It’s a future that Sinner hopes is a bright one in the sport.