Jannik SINNER

Jannik Sinner has emerged as one of the world's top tennis players, yet his journey could have steered him towards the ski slopes instead.

The young Italian was a talented skier from age three. At eight, he won a national championship in giant slalom and was a national runner-up at 12. However, at 13, he shifted his focus to tennis and moved to Bordighera to train with veteran coach Riccardo Piatti.

The tennis prodigy started competing in professional tournaments when he was just 16. By the time he turned 17, he had already won several ATP Challenger Tour titles. In 2019, he reached the top 100 of the world rankings and won the Next Generation ATP Finals as well as the ATP Newcomer of the Year award.

In 2021, he became the youngest player to win an ATP Finals match on debut since Lleyton Hewitt in Lisbon in 2000.

Jannik Sinner: Davis Cup and Grand Slam triumphs

In 2021, Sinner gave notice of his talent when reached his first Masters 1000 final at the Miami Open. Despite going down to big-serving Pole Hubert Hurkacz, he would soon claim his first big tournament win at July's ATP 500 Washington Open.